HARRISBURG—Attorney General Michelle Henry today announced that Gregory Smith of Philadelphia, was found guilty of the 2021 murder of 21-year-old Dominic Billa and the attempted murder of another man at the Philadelphia Mills Mall.
Smith, 23, was found guilty of third-degree murder, attempted murder, and possession of an instrument of crime. He is being held without bail and will be sentenced on June 9, 2023.
“Opening fire in a crowded shopping mall should be unimaginable in our society. Yet, that is precisely what Gregory Smith did, causing irreparable devastation and demonstrating yet another example of the need for strong enforcement of firearms laws,” AG Henry said after the verdict. “Our team worked tirelessly to bring these charges and see them through to verdicts that deliver a measure of justice for the victims and their families.”
Investigators determined Smith fired the shots. He committed the murder while out on bail from numerous dockets, including gun possession charges.
“These tragic stories of senseless gun violence are far too common, but thanks to the efforts of the police, investigating agents, and the prosecution team, Smith was held accountable,” AG Henry added.
Trial testimony indicated that Smith was at Philadelphia Mills Mall almost exactly two years ago on March 29, 2021, when a fight broke out in the food court. Smith fatally shot Dominic Billa then shot at another man who tried to help Billa. The second man was not wounded.
At the time of the murder, Smith was on bail awaiting trial on several cases in Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties for offenses including firearms offenses, Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance, Retail Theft, and Resisting Arrest.
A charged co-defendant was found not guilty of third-degree murder and conspiracy.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Katherine McDermott and Senior Deputy Attorney General Christopher Phillips.
# # #