A Kansas City man has pleaded guilty in federal court to cyberstalking that led to a fatal shooting in a grocery store parking lot. Michael Smith, also known as “Black Mike,” 39, admitted to using a GPS tracking device to follow the victim before the murder.
Smith entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, facing one count of cyberstalking resulting in death. His co-defendant, Dontay Campbell, 36, had previously pleaded guilty to the same charge on November 6, 2023.
According to court documents, Smith was hired to kill the victim in late January or early February 2019. Smith and Campbell acquired a GPS tracker and placed it under the victim’s red Chevrolet Tahoe on March 5, 2019. They used this device several times to track and locate the victim.
On March 16, 2019, Smith followed the victim as they drove to a Kansas City grocery store. When the victim returned to their vehicle after shopping, Campbell and another accomplice arrived in a Chrysler Sebring. The accomplice exited the car and fired multiple shots at the victim with a Ruger .40-caliber handgun owned by Campbell. During this time, Campbell tried but failed to remove the GPS tracker from the Tahoe.
The two men then drove around briefly before stopping again near the Tahoe. The accomplice fired more shots into the vehicle while Campbell made another unsuccessful attempt to retrieve the tracker. Both fled in their car after these events.
The victim died from multiple gunshot wounds. Smith received cash payment for carrying out the killing.
Under today’s plea agreement, both parties agreed that Smith will serve 30 years in federal prison without parole. Sentencing will take place after completion of a presentence investigation by United States Probation Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trey Alford, Nicholas Heberle, and Matthew Wolesky are prosecuting this case following an investigation by the FBI and Kansas City Police Department.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America,” officials stated. “Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime.”
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri manages federal prosecutions across 66 counties from Iowa’s border southward through Arkansas and works closely with law enforcement partners at all levels (official website). The office addresses issues such as violent crime and drug trafficking while maintaining locations in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield (official website).
