In plea agreement for defendant in Fort Worth double homicide, a 10-year prison sentence
One of two men who were charged in connection with the January 2023 killings of a couple in their southeast Fort Worth home was on Monday sentenced in the case.
Michael Smith was indicted in July 2023 on capital murder. In a plea agreement with the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Smith pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced in the 372nd District Court to 10 years in prison, said Gary Smart, Smith’s appointed defense attorney.
Smith is 29.
A District Clerk record indicates that the state in July 2023 sought, under prosecutorial discretion, the dismissal of the capital murder charge it had filed against Terry Cannon, a second suspect whom Fort Worth police arrested in the case.
Cannon is 38.
Calleen Medlin, 45, and her fiance, Leonard Owens, 53, were shot to death in a bedroom of their house in the 3700 block of Killian Street on Jan. 18, 2023.
Both victims died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Medlin, known to her family as Niecy, worked in the hospitality industry in hotels for many years and also worked as a home health care provider, according to an obituary prepared by her relatives, which said that her survivors included a son and that she and Owens were engaged.
Owens was a father of two and a grandfather, according to his obituary. “He was a loyal friend to many,” Owens’ relatives wrote. “He took care of so many people without wanting anything back.”
Assistant District Attorney Tim Rodgers prosecuted the Smith case.
This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 6:52 PM.
