FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hartford, CT) – Sharmese L. Walcott, State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Hartford, today announced that after a five-week trial, a jury in Hartford Superior Court on August 19, 2024, found Russell Smith, age 49, of Windsor, guilty of Murder in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54a. The conviction stems from the February 2020 fatal shooting of Franklin Spencer, age 47, of East Hartford. The Honorable Kevin C. Doyle presided over the trial.
According to evidence introduced at the trial, in the early morning hours of February 22, 2020, the Bloomfield Police Department responded to a shooting at Elizabeth’s Bar and Restaurant. Officers from the Bloomfield Police Department, located across the street from Elizabeth’s Bar and Restaurant, heard gunshots and responded to the scene less than a minute after the shooting. When officers arrived, they found Aaron Walker, age 43, of East Hartford, and Franklin Spencer on the ground outside of the restaurant. Mr. Walker had been shot in the chest and the leg and Mr. Spencer was shot twice in the head. Both victims were transported to the hospital where they were pronounced deceased. The defendant fled the scene but after a 5 ½ -month search, he was taken into custody in Georgia by the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force. The Murder charge the defendant faces in connection with the death of Mr. Walker is pending as the jury could not reach a verdict on that count.
State’s Attorney Walcott wishes to extend gratitude to the entire Bloomfield Police Department for their investigation of the shootings and for their efforts to locate the defendant.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Samantha Magnani and Executive Assistant State’s Attorney Brett Salafia, with the assistance of Inspector Robert Nesci, Paralegal Specialists Lakisha Malave and Antoine Campbell, and Certified Legal Intern Julia Lucas.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 29, 2024 in Hartford Superior Court.