A Bellport man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty for fatally shooting another man three years ago.
On June 15, 2022, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Lee Houpe, 28, was standing in a friend’s driveway when Shati Smith got out of his car and opened fire on him, striking him three times. When Houpe collapsed to the ground, Smith proceeded to stand over him and shoot him an additional seven times, striking him in the face, arm, and chest, ultimately killing him. Smith then got into his car and fled the scene.
Smith fled to Virginia where he was found by members of the Suffolk County Police Department and subsequently arrested.
On May 5, 2025, Smith, 31, was convicted of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony, and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, both Class C felonies, after a jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei.
On June 5, 2025, Smith was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
“Shati Smith has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the cold and calculated murder of Lee Houpe,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Smith gunned down an unarmed man in broad daylight and then fled the state to avoid justice. Thanks to the swift work by law enforcement, he was captured, extradited, and ultimately convicted.”