A Michigan father who admitted to killing one of his children and attempting to murder two others has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jeffery Smerer, 45, from Port Huron, received the sentence on Monday over the September 11, 2025 shootings that left his 17-year-old son Kayleb dead. His 13-year-old son Bentley and 12-year-old daughter Kinzley survived the gun assault but were left with serious life-changing injuries.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
Smerer pleaded guilty in May to one count of open murder, two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, two counts of first-degree child abuse and five counts of felony firearm use. The plea meant the case never went to trial. The judge said that avoiding what would have been a long and deeply emotional trial had spared the surviving victims from having to relive every detail in court, adding that the proceedings would almost certainly have ended with exactly the same result.
Victim Impact Statements
Even without a trial, Monday’s sentencing hearing heard emotional statements from the children who survived the attack. They described how an ordinary school morning suddenly became a tragedy that shattered their family forever. The family’s eldest son, who was 19 at the time, said that Kayleb had simply been waiting to leave for school. He told the court his younger brother was sitting on the sofa with his backpack on, watching TikTok, when Smerer walked over, pointed a gun at him and fired. He described Kayleb as his father’s ‘favorite’ child. Reports from the courtroom said Smerer wept while listening to the statement.
Bentley also spoke directly to his father about what happened that morning. He recalled being greeted before the shooting began. ‘I didn’t know a “good morning” was shooting me in the face,’ he told the court. Turning to Smerer, he added: ‘You can cry all you want, won’t change a thing. You crippled my sister, you killed my brother, your own children that you loved your entire life, just to kill. You deserve everything coming to you.’
Motive and Background
Police said Smerer later admitted that he had planned to kill Kayleb, Bentley and Kinzley before taking his own life because he feared he ‘might be going to jail’. Authorities said he had been due to be sentenced later that same day over a misdemeanour indecent exposure conviction. The case stemmed from allegations that he exposed himself to a child who attended a daycare run by his family back in 2020.
Investigators said Smerer first injured himself but survived before using a .380 handgun to shoot the three children. He later claimed that he tried to kill himself but the pistol ‘jammed’. His wife Brandi and the couple’s eldest son, who were both at home, managed to disarm him. All three injured children were rushed to hospital, where Kayleb later died.
Details of the Shooting
During an earlier hearing, a detective said Smerer told police that Bentley had been under a blanket using his phone when he fired. According to the detective, Smerer said he aimed towards the glow coming from the screen. The detective also testified that Smerer said Kinzley was getting up when he aimed at her throat and fired. Bentley was left with severe facial injuries, including shattered cheekbones, his upper jaw and his nasal area. Kinzley underwent facial reconstruction surgery and was left paralysed from the shoulders down.
Recovery and Aftermath
Earlier this year, Brandi shared an update on her children’s recovery. She said Bentley had left hospital and returned to school while Kinzley continued physical and occupational therapy. Brandi described her daughter as having ‘so much strength and courage’. She said Kinzley had regained full movement in her right arm, although her fingers still weren’t working, while doctors were trying to straighten her left arm with a cast running from shoulder to wrist. She also revealed that the family buried Kayleb on what would have been his 18th birthday.
Defense and Sentence
Smerer’s lawyer accepted there was nothing that could lessen what had happened. He told the judge that one child had been killed, two others had suffered catastrophic injuries and an entire family had been torn apart. The lawyer said Smerer had accepted responsibility from the beginning and never tried to blame anybody else for the shootings. He added that the guilty plea couldn’t undo the damage but was still a meaningful act of accountability. The judge ultimately agreed that the plea had at least spared the family from enduring a difficult trial. It made no difference to the sentence, but it did mean the surviving victims didn’t have to relive the evidence over weeks of traumatic court proceedings. Smerer will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
