Both Sides Admit Alex Beccue Shot Joshua Smith

There's no argument; Alex Beccue shot Joshua Smith. The circumstances behind the shooting are what will be decided by a Fayette County jury in determining Beccue's future.

Beccue is charged with first degree murder in Smith's shooting death on August 11, 2017. He also faces lesser charges of possessing a stolen vehicle and being a felon in possession of a weapon.

Fayette County State's Attorney Josh Morrison said in opening statements Tuesday morning that Beccue's shooting of Smith was "absolutely unnecessary and intentional." Morrison also said Beccue had taken a car, a change of clothes, a gun and gloves with him to Chelsea Beasley's house in Ramsey the night Smith was shot. Morrison alleged that Beccue washed the clothes he was wearing in the river and then put on the other clothes he'd taken with him and then threw the gun into the river. Morrison also alleged that Beccue gave differing versions as to the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Defense attorney Ed Deters said, "this is not a whodunit", acknowledging that Beccue shot Smith. Deters also stipulated that Beccue was using meth at the time, had not slept much in the couple of days leading up to the shooting because of his meth use, but also alleged that Beasley was a meth dealer and was selling to Beccue and Smith and using meth with both of them for a period of time.

Deters contended that his client was acting "weird" about that time and alleged that Smith told Beasley that "if Alex keeps acting weird, he had something for him." That something, Deters said, was a bag containing a gun, zip ties, and bullets. Deters showed the jury a photo of a gun clip found by or beneath Smith after he was shot, intimating that Smith was loading his gun at the time of the shooting and to Beccue...not thinking logically, not clear-headed, not sober...he thought "it was him or me" and shot Smith.

Judge Don Sheafor told the jury that the trial is expected to last into next week.