Man accused of killing his boss to hide a King Soopers payroll scheme convicted of murder

AURORA | A man accused of orchestrating a payroll scheme that bilked King Soopers out of thousands of dollars was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday in connection with the shooting death of his former boss.

Jerrelle Smith, 44, was convicted of first-degree murder and racketeering charges after a three-week trial in Adams County District Court, judicial district officials said in a statement.

Smith was accused of killing his supervisor, Ryan Dillard, in 2021 to prevent being outed in the payroll grift.

Smith was also accused of devising the payroll plot at Capstone Logistics in Aurora. The facility processes payroll King Soopers.

Prosecutors said Smith manipulated the payroll system by creating “ghost” employees as a way to steal thousands of dollars.

Shortly after being hired on Oct. 4, 2021, Dillard began piecing together the scam. He determined that employee Michael Poydras, a former employee, was a beneficiary of Smith’s ruse. Poydras was apparently still on the payroll despite no longer working for the company.

Fearing being outed, Smith orchestrated a plan to eliminate Dillard, prosecutors said.

On Oct. 21, 2021, Poydras, acting on Smith’s orders, ambushed Dillard outside the north-Aurora facility. Dressed in all in black, Poydras hid behind a sign and opened fire on Dillard’s car as he left to pick up breakfast for fellow employees.

Dillard died from his gunshot injuries, prompting an investigation by the Aurora Police Department.

The query led to Poydras’ arrest and a first-degree murder conviction in July 2023. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

This week, Smith was convicted for engineering the payroll scam and ordering the murder of Dillard.

“The facts of this case are like something out of a movie as they’re impossible to comprehend in real life,” said 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason. “Smith stole thousands and thousands of dollars from Capstone Logistics and then hired a beneficiary of that scheme to murder a fellow employee in cold blood.”

Smith’s sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Smith has been held in the Adams County jail since his arrest in 2021 in lieu of $1 million bond.