Couple robs & murders pastor, posts 'selfies' kissing in his car

GREENVILLE, Miss. (Christian Examiner) -- A Greenville couple was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery, Nov. 7, for the Nov. 1 killing of Pastor Don Smith, 57, after the pair posted "selfies" on Facebook, posing inside Smith's Buick Lacrosse.

The photos of Lashonda Williams, 24, and boyfriend Roger Reed Jr., 23, kissing and smiling in the stolen car appeared only a day after Smith's murder.

"It just shows how egregious this crime is, you know, that some people, their conscience doesn't bother them," Greenville Assistant Chief of Police Delando Wilson told MyFoxMemphis. "They have been suspected of a heinous crime. To joyride in the victim's vehicle is pretty heartless."

Family members of the late pastor learned of the arrests about the time a wake in his honor was beginning at Golden Gate Cathedral in Memphis last weekend. Smith served as pastor at Prospect Park Missionary Baptist Church in the Whitehaven area of Memphis, Tenn. for 30 years.

The aggravated robbery charges against Williams and Reed confirm what Smith's family initially suspected about the motivation behind his death.

"We definitely think it was a robbery," said family member Brendan Jones when the murder was first reported. "Somebody had to have mugged him, had to have because everybody loved him."

Williams and Reed managed to escape an earlier arrest attempt, according to police.

"Last Wednesday (Nov. 5) patrol cars found the car and attempted to stop the vehicle," Wilson told the FOX affiliate. "They refused to stop; at some point, the suspects abandoned the vehicle."

The couple currently await extradition to Memphis. Williams' and Reed's Facebook profiles indicate the two are married, and Williams is reported to have young children.