Inset: Flynn Brown (Leber Funeral Home). Background: Randall Smith during his trial for killing Brown at Jackson State University (WLBT).
A 23-year-old man is on trial in Mississippi for allegedly killing his college roommate after an argument over donuts and then stuffing his body in a box and dragging the remains down seven flights of stairs.
Randall Smith stands accused of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Flynn Brown on the campus of Jackson State University in December 2022.
On Wednesday, jurors heard from Amari Ward, who also lived with Smith and Brown. According to a courtroom report from local NBC affiliate WLBT, Ward testified he heard loud music coming from their room. When he walked inside, he saw a large amount of blood.
"The first place I noticed it was on the floor and there was a gray tote, and it looked like there was a pile of blood on the tote as well," Ward told jurors. "I [saw] the Challenger parked outside, and I heard the dragging noises, and I [saw] him tugging the black box with a sheet over it."
Smith was allegedly hauling the body to the dorm's parking lot so he could put the box in his Dodge Challenger. According to the Clarion-Ledger, an officer testified that Smith allegedly pulled the box some 75 yards to the parking lot, leaving behind bloodstains along the way.
When cops searched the room, they smelled a strong odor of bleach and blood on the sink, the officer reportedly testified.
Jurors also heard a recording of Smith admitting to cops that he killed Brown, claiming self-defense. He said he was eating donuts in the room when Brown came and took them. This apparently sparked an argument that turned physical.
Smith reportedly said Brown was choking him, so he went to his bedroom, grabbed a gun and came back out before shooting the victim in the head. The defendant said Brown overpowered him.
"I can't fight this man," Smith allegedly told cops.
According to Smith, Brown had been bullying him for a long time and it was the second physical fight they had. But prosecutors argued that Brown posed no deadly threat to Smith.
Brown hailed from New Jersey. After attending a two-year college in Pennsylvania, Brown transferred to Jackson State with hopes of playing football, his obituary said.
"There are many adjectives that define Flynn's character: faithful, confident, generous, football smart and good friend. He was inclusive of all people, very modest and never cocky. If he was your friend, he totally supported you and was there when you needed him," the obituary said.
The victim was looking forward to coming back home for Christmas.
"His airline ticket was purchased, and he was counting the days that he would be home," the obituary reads. "Jealousy, hate, and evil took Flynn prematurely from his family and friends. Justice will prevail!"
The trial continued on Thursday morning.