FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering a 71-year-old man during a robbery outside a South Fort Worth bingo hall.
The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office announced that 35-year-old Kenyan Buchanan pleaded guilty to murder on June 1, 2026, and received a 50-year prison sentence.
According to investigators, the shooting occurred on Jan. 1, 2025, outside a bingo hall on Crowley Road in South Fort Worth.
Police said 71-year-old Roger Smith, known to family and friends as "RJ," was leaving the bingo hall when he discovered someone stealing items from his pickup truck. When Smith confronted the thief, prosecutors said Buchanan shot him, stole his wallet, and fled the scene in a white SUV.
A witness saw Smith collapse to the ground and observed the suspect fleeing.
Fort Worth police used surveillance video from the area to obtain a description of the suspect vehicle.
Two days later, on Jan. 3, officers stopped a white Mazda SUV matching that description. Buchanan was driving the vehicle with a passenger inside.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the passenger told investigators they were with Buchanan during the shooting. The witness also told police Buchanan cut his hair after the killing and learned through news reports that Smith had died.
Investigators determined Buchanan stole lawn equipment, Smith's wallet, and his cellphone before fleeing.
Smith was a 1970 graduate of Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Dani Wojciak, with District Attorney Investigator Marcus Rink assisting in the investigation. The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office also credited the Fort Worth Police Department for its work on the case.
