Smith County Robbery Plot Leads to Capital Murder Arrests

FLINT, TX — April 15, 2025

Two individuals have been arrested in connection with a deadly robbery plot in Smith County that resulted in the shooting death of 51-year-old James Michael Littlejohn.

According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called around 2 a.m. Saturday to investigate a report of a man lying on the roadside in Flint. The victim, later identified as Littlejohn, was discovered with a gunshot wound and transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Investigators say that Littlejohn was sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle driven by Ashley Kate Joiner, 33, when the shooting occurred. A second suspect, 55-year-old John Floyd McDaniel, was seated in the rear. According to Joiner’s initial statement, McDaniel allegedly attempted to rob Littlejohn at gunpoint and threatened him by saying, “Don’t move or I’ll shoot you, give me your phone.”

Littlejohn reportedly pulled a knife in self-defense, at which point McDaniel fired a single round, fatally wounding him.

Joiner told authorities she fled with McDaniel and was instructed to dispose of the vehicle. Fearing for her own life, she evaded McDaniel and drove to the Frankston Police Department. The vehicle was later searched by authorities and was found to contain a .9mm Ruger handgun and multiple blood-covered cell phones. Blood spatter was found throughout the car, especially in the backseat.

However, further investigation into Joiner’s phone revealed text messages that contradicted her original story. Authorities say the texts show she willingly participated in planning the robbery that led to Littlejohn’s death.

McDaniel was located later that morning at the Economy Inn in Shreveport, Louisiana, and taken into custody on an unrelated warrant by Shreveport Police. Smith County officials have initiated capital murder proceedings against both suspects.

Ashley Joiner has been formally charged with capital murder by terror threat and remains in custody at the Smith County Jail. Additional charges for McDaniel are expected as the investigation progresses.

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All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.