PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- A local woman and a man from New York state are accused of fatally shooting the mother of the woman’s ex-boyfriend on New Year’s Day.
Jack Doherty, 23, and Shaylyn Moran, 18, were arraigned Thursday on charges of murder and conspiracy at District Court, Providence, and ordered held without bail. Doherty is facing a total of seven charges, including firing the gun and assaulting Pawtucket detective Justin Gould.
The couple is accused of shooting 54-year-old Cheryl Smith to death at her home at 100 Baxter St.
Police are looking at whether Moran’s past history with Smith’s son was the motive for the shooting.
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Detective Sgt. Christopher LeFort said that Smith was the mother of Moran’s ex-boyfriend, 21-year-old Leonard Troufield.
Moran and Troufield had a rocky relationship, each claiming violence against each other, LeFort said. Troufield was arrested in October on three domestic violence charges and was issued a no-contact order. A trial is pending in his case.
Moran then moved on to a new relationship with Doherty, who lives in Albany.
Police were called about gunfire at the small house around 8:15 p.m. and found Smith had been shot multiple times in the chest. She was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Troufield was also home, but wasn’t injured, LeFort said.
A man was seen fleeing the scene, and witnesses helped police figure out who the suspects were and where they could be found. Not long after the shooting, Pawtucket detectives tracked down Doherty and Moran at the Hampton Inn. They arrested the couple and seized a 9mm gun believed to be the murder weapon, said LeFort.
This handgun looks like the 3D printed gun that shows up in photos with Doherty on a Facebook account, LeFort confirmed. The Facebook photos show the gun as it’s being made.
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In a Facebook post from the same account on New Year’s Eve, Doherty takes a selfie in a full-length mirror, pointing a handgun at his reflection, with the post: “Bloody Boy Santana.”
A separate Facebook account with Moran’s photo commented on the post: “OMG U better let me hold it when I get there.”
The last photo posted on Doherty’s Facebook page went up after the shootings -- and just before the cops arrived at the motel. It was a photo of the couple in bed, her red fingernails splayed across her face, the sparkling ring on her ring finger accenting the target tattoo on her cheek: “we some fighters and some shooters.”
The couple appeared at separate arraignments Thursday afternoon, saying little other than answering the judge’s questions about their identities. Both are being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions pending a bail hearing on Jan. 16.
Amanda Milkovits can be reached at amanda.milkovits@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmandaMilkovits.