British native sentenced for 2008 Albany murder after fleeing to London

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - A British man was sentenced Monday for the 2008 murder of an Albany man at a traffic light after a Dougherty County judge accepted his plea, according to Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards.

Neil Adam Smith was sentenced for the fatal shooting of Cleveland Carter, Jr. on February 14, 2008, while they were stopped at a red light at the intersection of West Gordon and South Magnolia Street.

Smith, a British native, fled to to London, England after the shooting to escape but was brought back by Federal Marshals.

Edwards said Smith was indicted in 2015 after he was found.

"We filed an Application for Extradition in 2017 to return Smith to Albany to face justice for his crimes. And thanks to the combined efforts of the Albany Police Department, the U.S. Marshal Service, the State Department, and the justice system of the United Kingdom, Smith was returned to Albany in 2018 to answer for his crimes."

Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards

Judge Denise Marshall accepted his plea and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

“We prosecute crimes on behalf of the citizens of Dougherty County and the State of Georgia. We consider this a solemn duty, and the fact a murder was committed on the streets of Albany eleven years ago, and the suspect took flight to London, did not prevent us from prosecuting this crime. A lesson for those who would violate our laws and commit violent crimes. The District Attorney’s Office of Dougherty County stands ready to prosecute all crimes in our jurisdiction, no matter where the perpetrators might hide. We will find you, and we will prosecute you! We owe that to the good citizens of our community who have placed their trust in us!"

District Attorney Edwards, said.