CHARLOTTE — Linda Springs’ fight for justice is being met with plea deals years after her daughter, Kendal Crank, was shot and killed on her way to nursing school.
On Tuesday, two of the three suspects arrested in her murder pleaded guilty to lesser charges. In exchange, the first-degree murder charges for Marquis Smith and Tychicus Dobie were dismissed.
During his first-degree murder trial back in May, accused shooter Adonis Smith said he was shot at first, and that Crank was caught in the crossfire. His trial ended with a hung jury. After the jury’s split decision, prosecutors said they felt a plea deal for the other two suspects would be the best way to get justice.
Though the case is closed against two of the defendants convicted today in connection with the 2019 fatal shooting of Crank, closure is a luxury her mother may never see.
Channel 9’s Hunter Saenz spoke with Linda Springs, Crank’s mother.
“I can forgive them of what they did, but it doesn’t bring me comfort,” Springs said.
Springs addressed the court, emotionally speaking about her late daughter.
“She was a beautiful young lady,” she said. “She laughed a lot and that’s what I keep in my heart.”
In a plea deal with the state attorney general’s office, first-degree murder charges were dismissed against two of the three suspects. Both Marquis Smith and Tychicus Dobie pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
“We’ll never know what her life would have been like,” Springs said about her late daughter. “She left behind two children.”
In a moment that’s rarely seen in court, Dobie looked directly at Crank’s mother as he took accountability for his actions. He was riding in the backseat of an SUV when it was hit by bullets a group of people were firing from a nearby parking lot.
“Me losing my mother, I understand how it feels for her kids, and all I can say is I have sympathy and I’m sorry,” Dobie said.
Her response was barely audible in court, but Dobie’s nodding confirmed Springs accepted his plea for forgiveness.
“Not because I need it, but because it will ensure peace in y’all hearts and y’all soul,” said Dobie.
The other defendant, Smith said very little in court, but his attorney told Channel 9’s Jonathan Lowe why he thinks the attorney general’s office offered plea deals.
“It’s always been a very, very weak case for the state,” Aaron Lee, Marquis Smith’s attorney, said.
Prosecutors said Marquis Smith pulled a gun from under the seat and placed it on the armrest, before the accused shooter, Adonis Smith, picked it up and started shooting. Lee said his client stands by the assertion he did nothing wrong that day.
“He was in a car, driving two friends, when they are shot at,” Lee said.
Channel 9 asked if that’s true, why take a plea deal.
“He is able to get out, in theory, today and go home, see his son who he has never touched,” Lee replied.
But for a still-grieving mother, six years in jail is far too short of a proper punishment.
“What kind of message are we sending to the state of North Carolina, to the city of Charlotte, that they can just get out, after serving X-amount of time,” said Springs.
Following the plea deals, Smith was released on Tuesday. Dobie still needs to serve a few more months. It’s unclear if that will be in a state prison or the Mecklenburg County jail. The state plans to retry Adonis Smith.
WATCH: Kendal Crank murder suspect asks for unsecured bond
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