Dylan Smith Appears in Court for Change of Plea Hearing
- Nathan Springfield
- 15 minutes ago
- 1 min read
VINCENNES, Ind. (We Are Knox County) - Dylan Smith, a Vincennes man charged with murder, appeared in court for a change-of-plea hearing on Monday.
Knox County Prosecutor Dirk Carnahan confirmed with WAKC News Now that Smith changed his plea to guilty during Monday morning's hearing.
Carnahan noted that the State did not offer a plea deal in this case — instead, Smith, through his attorney, proposed the agreement.
“Through his attorney, Mr. Smith offered to plead guilty, waive all appeals, and waive any future requests to modify his sentence in exchange for a 60-year sentence,” Carnahan told WAKC News Now.
Carnahan says he met with the victim’s family to discuss the proposed agreement.
“The family decided they were in favor of this agreement and asked me to accept it,” according to Carnahan.
Smith is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on January 9, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.
Smith is charged with murder in the death of Taylor Hendershot in Vincennes in August.
According to police, Smith allegedly shot 30-year-old Hendershot in the parking lot of Cardinal Liquor in Vincennes before barricading himself inside a nearby residence for several hours.
Smith originally pleaded not guilty during his initial hearing on August 6.
