Caden Smith, now 18, has been charged as an adult with three counts of murder. While he was on pre-trial release, he was arrested again, police said.
An Indiana teenager charged with killing three people was back in court this week after being arrested while on pre-trial release. He was allegedly caught on social media dealing pot and holding a handgun, police said.
Caden Smith, now 18, appeared before Marion County Superior Judge Jennifer Prinz Harrison on Wednesday, as his attorney unsuccessfully argued the teen did not violate the terms of his release.
Smith was ordered held without bail, on new charges of dealing marijuana, visiting a common nuisance, invasion of privacy and violating his pre-trial release conditions.
Last year, Smith was charged with three counts of murder for the shooting deaths of Michael James, Abdulla Mubarak and Joseph Thomas. An off-duty police officer found the victims' bodies on Oct. 12, 2021, in a grassy area in Indianapolis.
He was also charged at the time with robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and resisting law enforcement, according to online court records.
Investigators said they identified Smith as a suspect from communication he had with the victims prior to their deaths. Police arrested the then 16-year-old while executing a search warrant, and said they found the murder weapon in his home.
Smith is being tried as an adult.
Judge Harrison ordered Smith released on Oct. 14, pending an appellate court ruling on whether the alleged murder weapon found by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives should be permitted as evidence in his upcoming trial.
Smith has pleaded not guilty to the October 2021 charges.
Smith was ordered by the judge to wear a GPS monitor and to “have no firearms, deadly weapons or ammunition in his possession” during his pre-trial release.
Police said Smith was on social media after his release, posting photos on Snapchat of him holding a handgun and selling marijuana. He was arrested again on Nov. 23, after investigators raided a house he was staying in, allegedly finding guns and drugs.
Smith's attorney, David Hennessy, argued in court this week that the weapons allegedly found in the house were not in his client's possession. The pre-trial release order stipulated that Smith could not possess weapons, which is different, the lawyer said.
"The pretrial release authorities were confused that there was an order prohibiting Caden from being in a house where there were guns," Hennessy told Inside Edition Digital on Friday. "There was only an order prohibiting (him) from possessing firearms which is substantially and legally different," he said.
"The new charges are based on him being a visitor in a home where items were located," the lawyer said. "The state needs to prove knowledge and intent to exert control over the items. Mere presence is not enough."
Smith's next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 6, according to online records.
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