After 5 years since Christopher Carie, Robert D. Smith Jr. and Jay Michael Sowders were killed and Carmen Vanegas was injured, Cylar Shemwell, now 37, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for complicity. The surviving family members shared that life has not been the same since that night in January 2019.
Shemwell is one of two men who were facing three counts of murder for the shooting deaths of Robert D. Smith Jr., 35; Jay Michael Sowders, 43; and Christopher Carie, 18, in a 2019 triple homicide. He also faced a first-degree assault because a fourth person, Carmen Vanegas, who was 35 at the time, was shot in the head but survived.
Carmen Vanegas, who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being shot by Baines and lost her son Carie, said that though Shemwell did not pull the trigger, he ultimately brought the situation into their lives.
“I wish you would’ve never come into our house. You brought him into our house, and you ruined innocent people’s lives with your friend [Baines]. … If it weren’t for you, Baines would’ve never come into my house,” Vanegas said.
She began to wish that Shemwell “got what he deserves,” though she felt it may not be a lot.
“You deserve to take responsibility for what you brought on; I hope you get what you deserve and then some,” Vanegas said.
For Anna Sowders, sister of Jay Sowders, the shooting happened in her childhood home, which completely altered her life, she said.
“I’ve been forced into the clean up a murderer scene in the basement that held memories of my childhood with Jay Michael. The house where I had taken care of my parents and also where they took their last breath. All those years of memories destroyed by the senseless act of two cowards impacted my life tremendously,” Anna said.
Though she said this situation had been settled legally, she feels there is no justice that can return the things, moments and memories to her.
Teresa Smith, Robert’s mother, said she sees Shemwell as “the worst of the worst” for not aiding any of the victims in their final moments.
“I believe that you are worse than Barnes. You watched him kill my son and two others and never once tried to stop this very act. You could have opened your mouth and warned him about this before it happened,” Teresa said.’’
Kayla Kiper and Robert Smith had a daughter together shortly before Smith died. She said that Shemwell was supposed to be “Robert’s friend” when he was still alive.
“You let that man in to do what he did to them, and you didn’t even try stopping. You didn’t even try to help him; just sat there,” Kiper said.
Because of this, she said she hopes that, like how Robert won’t see his daughter again, Shemwell’s daughter sees him as a “monster” and “never wants to lay eyes on you again.”
“I want you to look at my baby and remember that when she wants to see her daddy, she’s got to go to a graveyard and when she wants to pictures we have to add him in so she can have pictures of her mom and dad,” Kiper said.
Shemwell’s agreement shows that he made his guilty plea pursuant to North Carolina vs. Alford. An Alford plea is one in which a defendant maintains their innocence but admits that the prosecution’s evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if brought to trial.
Judge Tom Castlen sentenced Shemwell to the following charges:
- Count 1: Criminal Complicity to commit manslaughter in the first degree (10 years)
- Count 2: Criminal Complicity to commit manslaughter in the first degree (10 years)
- Count 3: Criminal Complicity to commit manslaughter in the first degree (10 years)
- Count 4: Criminal Complicity to commit assault in the first degree (10 years)
These sentences will run concurrently for a total of 10 years served. Being these are Class C felonies, Shemwell will not be eligible for probation, but he is still eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 85%, 8.5 years, in prison.
