Man accused of murdering sisters in Texas A&M Commerce dorm now charged in Denton murder case

DENTON, Texas - The man who police say murdered his ex-girlfriend and her sister at Texas A&M Commerce is now facing another murder charge.

The new charge is connected to a deadly shooting in Denton back on New Year's Eve.

It is just the latest violent crime added to Jacques Smith's long list of charges.

Smith went from posting sympathy for his murdered ex-girlfriend on social media, to being held responsible for her death and two others.

He’s now facing three capital murder charges. Two counts are for the murders of Deja and Abbany Matts inside a Texas A&M Commerce dorm on Monday.

RELATED: Man arrested for fatal shooting of sisters in Texas A&M Commerce dorm room

Now, Denton police say he’s responsible for the death of a man on New Year’s Eve.

“Through the course of the investigation, just by skill, good luck, and the grace of God, these two cases intersected at the right time,” Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon said.

Police say that back on December 31, Smith and two other men – identified as Jalin Hargrove and Earnest Rogers - tried to rob 22-year-old Steven Daniels, before killing him in an apartment parking lot.

Investigators said they found evidence at a Rowlett home that linked Smith to the Denton murder.

Smith reportedly tried to sell the pistol used to kill Daniels.

By tracking the victim's phone and reviewing surveillance video at a nearby 7-Eleven, police were able to identify the two other men involved.

Investigators arrested all three men at a Rowlett home on Tuesday.

“Smith was not a target of our investigation. He was not a suspect in our investigation until [Tuesday] night, when we got enough information to then charge him in our case,” Dixon explained. “We were looking for a completely different suspect in our case, and it just so happens they are linked together.”

Smith was already known to law enforcement before the college campus killings.

Last week, he was arrested in Garland for a charge of assaulting one of the victims, his ex-girlfriend, Abbaney Matts. Matts had an emergency protective order placed against him.

Court documents state that Smith hit Matts with multiple items, including a box fan and a frying pan, after she said the relationship needed a break.

The documents add that Smith allegedly said, “I will kill you,” while holding a knife.

Smith was booked on a $15,000 bond, which he posted days before Matts’ murder.

“It sounds low given the lengthy criminal history in this case. You would think the bond would have been set at a higher amount. Again, you don’t have all the factors, but $15,000 sounds low,” said Russell Wilson, a defense attorney and former assistant district attorney who is not associated with the case.

Smith had a history of violence, with two prior aggravated robbery convictions that led to five years of probation.

Wilson said the court should have seen that record when assessing Smith’s case.

“A lot of times, the folks who are on probation want to bond out as quickly as possible, before the court, they are on probation, can learn of the new arrest,” Wilson explained. “That is not necessarily infrequent, but it is infrequent that an entire week goes before that person is issued a new warrant for probation violation.”

The director of probation for Dallas County said that the warrant for Smith violating his probation was not issued until Friday, which was after he bonded out.

While Smith is charged with capital murder in the Denton case, Chief Dixon said they do not yet know the role he played in that murder.