WOOLWICH, New Jersey — A family argument about a houseguest ended in a killing. Then the man who pulled the trigger recorded a video of himself and said it was deserved.
Christian Smith, 28, will spend the next 65 years in prison for the October 2021 shooting death of his stepfather, Dennis McKenzie Jr., 43.
Gloucester County Superior Court Judge William Ziegler handed down the sentence this week. Smith must serve at least 85% of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.
An Argument Over a Houseguest Turned Deadly
The shooting happened on Oct. 9, 2021, at the family’s home in Woolwich Township — a small community in the Philadelphia metro area.
Smith was temporarily staying with his mother and stepfather at the time.
He became upset after learning his sister had brought an LGBTQ friend into the home. According to prosecutors, Smith made it clear he did not approve — telling his stepfather that “their house was a house of God.”
The situation quickly escalated.
Smith directed an anti-LGBTQ slur at the houseguest. His mother and sister tried to calm things down. His mother physically stepped between the two men.
It was not enough.
McKenzie threw a punch at Smith. That is when Smith pulled a Glock 19 9mm handgun from his waistband, reached over his mother, and opened fire.
Shot in the Face and Three Times in the Back
McKenzie was struck four times — once in the face and three times in the back.
After the shooting, Smith did not call for help. Instead, he took the gun apart and recorded himself on video.
“That’s what he gets,” he said on camera.
Defense Said It Was an Accident. Jurors Did Not Buy It
At trial, Smith’s defense team argued the shooting was not intentional — claiming a struggle over the gun caused several shots to go off accidentally before Smith took control of the weapon.
Prosecutors dismantled that version of events point by point.
“He took the gun out from behind him, reached over her, and fired three times,” First Assistant Prosecutor Dana Anton told the court. “You can’t accidentally shoot somebody three times.”
The jury agreed. In January, they found Smith guilty of first-degree murder.
‘He Will Be Held Accountable for Taking a Life’
At sentencing, Prosecutor Andrew B. Johns made the state’s position clear.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s violent actions and ensures he will be held accountable for taking a life,” he said in a statement following the verdict.
Smith will be in his 80s before he is eligible for parole — if he lives that long.
A family that gathered over a dispute about a houseguest left that day without a father, a husband, and a son. The man responsible captured his own reaction on video and called it justice.
A jury — and now a judge — disagreed.
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