A Columbus man charged in the stabbing death of a restaurant employee in Upper Arlington was to be released on his own recognizance Wednesday night after his defense attorney said video shows his client was not at the scene when the incident occurred.
Jeffrey Lamar Smith, 51, whose last known address was on Columbus' South Side, turned himself in Tuesday after Upper Arlington police announced that they had a warrant for his arrest on a charge of aggravated murder in the death of Charles McCoy, 31, of Columbus on Monday afternoon.
The stabbing occurred outside China Dynasty restaurant on West Lane Avenue where McCoy worked. McCoy and Smith argued over words McCoy had earlier with Smith's girlfriend, who also worked at the restaurant, police said in court documents.
Smith's defense attorney, Joseph R. Landusky II, said Wednesday in Franklin County Municipal Court that Upper Arlington police have the wrong man. He said there is video that shows his client wasn't at the scene.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said his office later asked the court to release Smith on recognizance bond Wednesday night instead of the original $1.5 million while Upper Arlington police investigate the claim. Smith remains charged with aggravated murder, he said.
Landusky credited Upper Arlington detectives and O'Brien for realizing that there were problems with the case. He said it's obvious something was amiss when the prosecutor agreed to drop the bond from $1.5 million to recognizance.
"My client didn't do this," Landusky said. "There was not a cut or a scrape on him."
Dispatch reporter Jim Woods contributed to this report.
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