Federal change of plea hearing set for SC man accused of killing New Mexico State Police Officer, Pee Dee paramedic
Jan 06, 2025
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WBTW) -- A Marion County man accused of killing a Pee Dee paramedic and a New Mexico State Police officer in March will appear in federal court later this month for a change of plea hearing, court records show.
The hearing for Jaremy Smith is scheduled before Judge James O. Browning on Jan. 17 in Albuquerque's U.S. District Court.
Court records show that Smith pleaded not guilty in April to charges of kidnapping resulting in a death; carjacking resulting in a death; using a firearm during the commission of violent crime; being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm; possession of a stolen firearm; and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.
Timeline: What’s happened so far in the case of slain Pee Dee paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore
Smith had been scheduled to go on trial on Sept. 22, 2025, according to a scheduling order filed in federal court in New Mexico in November. Specific information about a potential plea agreement in the New Mexico case was not immediately available.
Smith allegedly killed Officer Justin Hare on March 15 during a roadside ambush on Interstate 40 in New Mexico. That same day, authorities found the body of paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore outside of Lake View in Dillon County.
Officials said Smith was driving a white BMW that belonged to Machado-Fore when Hare stopped to help him along the interstate. Smith also faces 17 separate state charges in Marion County related to Machado-Fore's killing.