A Miramar man accused of setting up a romantic rival, beating him while another friend held the victim down, and finally driving a sword into the victim’s chest to kill him is due in court Wednesday afternoon for what may be his final hearing before a jury is picked to decide his fate.
Andre Clements, 20, is charged with murder, conspiracy and tampering with physical evidence in the October 2021 death of Dwight “D.J.” Grant, 18, at the time a fellow student at Miramar High School. Investigators say Clements was angry at Grant for sleeping with his ex-girlfriend and arranged an ambush at the apartment complex where Grant lived. Grant believed he was meeting a girl for a sexual encounter, but instead came face to face with Clements.
Two women who admitted participating in the setup are serving 25-year prison sentences after pleading guilty in the case last summer.
One of them, Jaslyn Smith, now 19, is now expected to take the stand against Clements. At her sentencing hearing last August, she described Clements as the mastermind of the conspiracy. Defense lawyers are accusing the Broward State Attorney’s Office of violating pre-trial disclosure procedures by not formally listing Smith as a trial witness until just over two weeks ago..
It was Smith who pinned the victim down while Clements beat him and stabbed him. according to investigators and her own admission. Prosecutors list witnesses in three categories, with A being, among other things, those likely to testify and C being, among other things, those who are not. Smith was moved from the C list to the A list on Dec. 30. At the time, the trial was scheduled to begin Jan. 6.
Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra will hear arguments about whether to allow Smith’s testimony at Wednesday’s hearing, which is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.
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