GREENWOOD — A civil suit was filed against Greenwood doctor by a local attorney, who was the purported target of a failed murder-for-hire scheme, is scheduled for trial on July 20 in Lowndes County.
The Greenwood Commonwealth reports attorney Lee Abraham sued Dr. Arnold Smith in 2012. Abraham argues in the civil lawsuit that he has had to change his daily actions and lost enjoyment of his normal life as a result of the alleged plot and the shootout.
The trial was moved to Lowndes County at the request of Abraham’s lawyers.
Authorities say Smith’s plot ended April 28, 2012, with the death of gunman Keaira Byrd and the serious wounding Derrick Lacy. Byrd allegedly was hired to kill attorney Lee Abraham, who represented Smith’s ex-wife in their divorce years ago. Abraham was not injured.
Lacy and Cordarious Robinson, who is charged with conspiracy in the case, are awaiting trial.
Arnold was found mentally unfit for trial in a criminal case on charges of capital murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder. He was committed to the Mississippi State Hospital earlier this month for treatment for a mental illness following a separate civil commitment proceeding.
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