Man learns divorce is final, then fires 12 rounds at ex’s car, NM officials say
A man accused of shooting at his ex-wife’s SUV, injuring their daughter, was convicted of multiple charges after a trial in New Mexico, officials and reports said.
Jeffery Daniel Smiley, 50, was found guilty of counts of child abuse, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and shooting at or from a motor vehicle resulting in great bodily harm, the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office said in an Aug. 1 news release.
McClatchy News reached out to his attorney Aug. 1 and was awaiting a response.
The shooting happened in 2023 in the Clovis area, prosecutors said.
Smiley and his ex-wife had a court date “where Smiley learned that their divorce had been finalized and that he was barred from seeing his younger daughter,” according to prosecutors. He got a ride from his son-in-law and adult daughter, and a short time later they came across the ex’s SUV, prosecutors said.
Smiley got out of the car and fired 12 rounds at the SUV, which was carrying his ex-wife, her boyfriend and three kids, according to prosecutors.
The young daughter Smiley shared with his ex was seriously hurt, prosecutors said. The 7-year-old was hospitalized and survived, KOB4 reported.
Smiley’s sentencing date wasn’t announced in the news release.
Clovis is about a 220-mile drive southeast from Albuquerque.
This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Man learns divorce is final, then fires 12 rounds at ex’s car, NM officials say."
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