Murder suspect’s motions for release take toll on victim’s mother
By Rachael Perry
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FORT PIERCE, Florida (WPBF) — The mother of a Fort Pierce teen who was shot and killed says the suspect’s motions for temporary release are taking a toll on her.
Larry Lamar Smith is accused of shooting and killing 19-year-old Myrah Zeigler at a rented Fort Lauderdale home on May 19, 2025. For the second time, court records show he requested that a judge grant him a furlough or temporary release from the Broward County Jail.
According to court records, Smith originally requested to be released temporarily to attend the birth of his child. However, at a Wednesday morning hearing, his attorney said the baby had been born on Monday and requested that Smith be granted temporary release to visit his newborn child.
According to court documents, Smith agreed to be released with an electronic monitoring device on him and a curfew to visit the newborn child.
Smith was previously granted a temporary release to attend his father’s funeral in August. However, this time, the judge denied the motion.
Zeigler’s mother, Alacia Ford-Barron, told WPBF 25 News that each time Smith requests to be released, her heart shatters.
“It’s like reliving it all over again. I take it back. I relive it every day. I’m not going to lie. I relive it every day. Every time I open up my eyes, I relive it. But when he puts in a motion, it’s like, you’re not holding yourself accountable for what you did,” she said.
Ford-Barron said the first time he was released was hard enough.
“Just stop. Stop it. Hold your head up. Hold yourself accountable for what you did and learn from it. It’s irritating me. It’s really irritating me. It has already taken a lot out of me. It’s taking part of me away, and the little bit that I have left, it’s taking,” she said.
She said it’s frustrating to hear him ask to be released to visit his newborn child when her’s was taken from her.
“I can’t say, hey, can I get a motion? and say, hey, let me go and spend time with my daughter. No, I can only go to a grave site and talk to my baby, or just talk to her wherever I am. I can’t hold her. I have to grab clothes; I still have clothes that smell like her,” she said.
Now that Smith is a father, Ford-Barron said she hopes he’ll understand the emotional toll these motions take on a grieving parent.
“You’re going to be able to feel a parent’s love, a parent’s protection, wondering if your child is going to make it the next day. You are going to feel it real soon, and I hope you do feel it because you need to understand what as a mother I’m going through,” Ford-Barron said.
Since Smith was granted release the last time a motion was filed, Ford-Barron said she was expecting it to happen all over again. She’s now breathing a sigh of relief.
“I just, I thank God. I know there’s a God above, and I know that he’s working in my favor,” she said.
She also expressed her gratitude towards Judge Thomas J. Coleman, who denied the motion.
“I appreciate him so much for what he did today. You didn’t do it for me. You did it because it’s right, what’s right. So I do understand that. But I just want to say as a mother, thank you,” Ford-Barron said.
Through all the grief, frustration, and anger, Ford-Barron said she knows her daughter is looking down on her and is proud of the way she continues to fight.
“What I want everyone to know about Myrah is that she was a fighter, but she was also a lover. She had a big heart, and my daughter went out strong. She touched a lot of young people’s hearts. That I can say. Because of that, as her mother and as her family, we’re going to make sure Myrah’s name stays alive,” she said.
Ford-Barron said she’s started an organization called Myrah’s Purpose to help other young people navigate growing up and processing hard moments.
“If I could save one or two lives a year, that matters to me a lot,” she said.
She said even just talking about her daughter puts a smile on her face, and she’ll never stop fighting for justice.
“I’m going to keep coming and coming and coming. So just remember who I am and remember that every step and every voice, every thing that I say, I’m standing all for Myrah,” she told WPBF.
Zeigler’s family and friends celebrated what would be her 20th birthday last month. Her mother said it was hard, but it’s just one of many ways they’ll keep her memory alive.
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