Two women are facing accessory to first-degree murder charges in connection to a kidnapping and murder investigation in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office arrested 21-year-old Amirah Pettus and 25-year-old Netanya Succes in the killing of Kyle Smith in September 2021.
They’re among four people charged in the murder. 27-year-old Wareno Belizaire faces charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, battery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The fourth suspect, 31-year-old Richardson Francois, is charged with accessory after a capital felony.
According to investigators, the murder stemmed from a drug deal on September 20, 2021, at a storage warehouse on Donna Road, near Norman Drive, in West Palm Beach.
The sheriff’s office said Smith and his cousin went to the warehouse in Smith’s car to meet up with Belizaire for a drug deal. During the transaction, detectives say Belizaire pulled out a gun and pistol-whipped Smith and the cousin.
According to the arrest report, the cousin told investigators that Belizaire held them at gunpoint and said, just before they were separated, “You guys are gonna die today.”
The cousin told detectives Belizaire’s associates took him away in another car. The cousin said it was the last time he saw Smith alive.
Deputies found Smith’s body on Southern Boulevard in Belle Glade. The medical examiner said he suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the torso.
According to the arrest report, the cousin was taken to an address along East Issacs Drive and then to Lake Ajaro where he was shot. He managed to escape. The cousin eventually identified Belizaire as the kidnapper and the last person to be with Smith at the storage unit.
Surveillance video led to Pettus. Cameras captured a gray BMW registered to Pettus leaving the warehouse on Donna Road at 9:33 p.m., at about the same time Smith and his friend were separated. A License Plate Reader tracked the BMW going westbound on State Road 80 at 10:03 p.m., near where deputies found Smith’s body. Another LPR tracked the BMW going eastbound at 10:25 p.m.
A search warrant on the car revealed blood-like stains in the trunk and rear passenger side of the car.
When questioned by investigators, Pettus said she didn’t remember what she was doing on the night of September 20, and that she sometimes lends her car out to others, but wouldn’t give any names. Cell phone records also disputed her story that she never traveled that far west to where deputies found Smith’s body.
Investigators believe Succes rode in the passenger seat of the BMW when it left the warehouse on Donna Road at around 9:33 p.m. on the night of the murder, with Belizaire and Francois taking seats in the back. Forensic scientists also found DNA evidence on Smith’s sandal that had ties to Succes.
Investigators retrieved even more surveillance video in the case when they found Smith’s blue Ford Fusion. Surveillance video showed a sedan consistent with a black Mercedes registered to Francois following the Ford Fusion. Data from the infotainment system in the Mercedes showed it was in the area of the storage bin on Donna Road at around 7:43 p.m. on the night of September 20, 2021. It left the area 28 minutes later, presumably following the victim’s car to Sequoia Drive, and returned to the Donna Road location at 8:20 p.m. The video also captured a gray Dodge truck leaving the Donna Road location just before the BMW drove away. Investigators believe the truck is also involved in the case.
According to investigators, Francois left work early on the night of September 20, telling coworkers a family member or friend was shot and he had to leave. A coworker said it was unusual for Francois to leave work early. Francois called out from work the next day, citing family issues. Detectives later
Another witness told investigators she saw a group of people burning items in the backyard of a home along E. Isaacs Avenue at around 2 a.m. on September 21. When authorities searched the property with a warrant, they found blue sandals belonging to Smith, boxes of ammunition, and mail belonging to both Belizaire and Francois.
Belizaire, arrested in March, remains at the Palm Beach County Jail. Francois, Pettus, and Succes are free on bond.
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