Trial of suspect in shooting that paralyzed USC student to start Monday

Michael Juan Smith is scheduled to go on trial Monday on charges of shooting University of South Carolina student Martha Childress nearly two years ago.

Smith, 22, is accused of attempted murder and other charges after firing his gun in the early morning on Oct. 13, 2013, following an argument with another man.

A stray bullet from Smith’s gun struck Childress in the back as she stood in line for a taxi near the Five Points fountain. It left her paralyzed from the waist down.

Smith will stand trial in circuit court in Richland County.

It comes after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty 14 months ago to a federal weapons charge.

At that time, he called the shooting of Childress an accident. His parents have apologized to her.

Childress, who recently turned 21, and other relatives will be at the trial, her uncle and family spokesman Jim Carpenter said. He declined further comment.

Smith faces an additional 46 years in prison if convicted of the other charges.

He received the maximum sentence in federal court. Smith was on probation, prohibiting him from possessing a firearm based on two burglary convictions. The gun used in the shooting had been reported stolen.

Childress, who is from the Upstate, is busy with classes back on campus after taking some online classes while undergoing therapy to learn to live as a paraplegic.

She has said staying bitter wouldn’t help.

“I just have to learn at some point just to let go and forgive for what happened and move on with my life,” she said in an interview in March 2014.

This story was originally published August 7, 2015 at 3:46 PM.