Naman Shrestha
In Investigation Discovery’s ‘On the Case With Paula Zahn: Moving Target,’ the primary focus is on the horrific and tragic killing of Ryan Dillard in broad daylight in October 2021, near his workplace in Aurora, Colorado. The investigation relied heavily on witness statements and surveillance footage in the area as the detectives zeroed in on the perpetrator, only to uncover a planned-out, murderous plot and a workplace scam. The documentary features exclusive and insightful interviews with Ryan’s loved ones and the officials who helped solve the case.
Ryan Dillard Succumbed to His Injuries at the Hospital After the Shooting
On October 1, 1970, in Houston, Texas, Frank Hugh and Cheryl Lynne Patrick Dillard welcomed Ryan Alan Dillard into the world as their little bundle of joy. Ryan spent his formative years alongside his sister Kelly in Texas, where he attended the University of Texas. In 2002, he relocated to Colorado and started afresh. While he established a new business of his own, he crossed paths with the love of his life, Melanie Rinko, on a blind date. After dating for a while, they made their relationship official by getting married in 2003 in the presence of their loved ones. Known for his witty sense of humor, Ryan had several hobbies, including cooking, gardening, and storytelling.
The Texas Longhorns fan loved to spend quality time with Melanie and their furry pets, Max and Sammy. On October 4, 2021, Ryan started working as a supervising manager at the King Soopers Distribution Center at 1861 Tower Road in Aurora, Colorado. However, neither he nor his wife was aware that the new workplace would lead to his untimely demise. The day of October 20, 2021, started off as just another day as Ryan came in to work on time and left to get some breakfast. Unfortunately, just a few steps outside the distribution center, multiple gunshots were fired, which triggered a 911 call.
The paramedics found Ryan critically wounded inside his crashed car and pulled him out. They rushed him to a local hospital while performing CPR. As the Aurora Police Department officers arrived at the scene, they found multiple spent shell casings from a 9mm handgun in and around the crashed vehicle. They theorized that the first gunshot incapacitated him, leading him to crash his car into the parked trailer. A while later, Ryan was declared dead at the hospital, with the cause of his death being multiple gunshot wounds.
Ryan Dillard Found Out About a Payroll Scam at Work
First and foremost, the authorities interviewed the eyewitness who called 911 and found out that the suspect was a masked man in black who fled the scene on foot after firing multiple rounds towards Ryan Dillard and his car. His wife, Melanie Rinko, was brought in for questioning to understand the circumstances surrounding his death. She told the detectives that a couple of nights ago, a man knocked on their door around 9 pm and asked to use their phone, but Ryan refused. After clearing Melanie as a potential suspect, the investigators focused on retracing Ryan’s movements before the shooting by going through his cell phone content. Since the witness testified to seeing the suspect running across the field near the crime scene, a K-9 team processed the area and found a 9mm SIG Sauer magazine, which matched the shell casings found in and around Ryan’s car.
As the detectives delved deeper, they went through the security footage of a nearby residence that captured the shooter getting inside his Jeep Cherokee after killing the 51-year-old. The homeowner of the residence claimed that he had seen the same vehicle moments before the murder as well. Upon reviewing footage from the same morning, the police spotted the Jeep Cherokee parked behind a silver sedan around 8:15 am. According to the footage, the suspect interacted with the sedan’s driver for a few minutes. As they turned their attention to Ryan’s workplace, they spotted the same silver sedan in the security footage entering the Distribution Center around 8:19 am that morning. The sedan belonged to one of Ryan’s colleagues, Jerrelle Aireine Smith, who was reportedly running a payroll scam and stealing money from the company.
The Beneficiaries of a Payroll Scam Planned Ryan Dillard’s Murder
The investigators believed that Ryan learned about Jerrelle’s payroll scam, after which Jerrelle hired a former colleague and a beneficiary of the scam, Michael Poydras, to kill the new manager of the King Soopers Distribution Center. The authorities then obtained a search warrant to put a tracking device on Jerrelle’s silver sedan and another for his cell phone. His cell phone records revealed that he had been talking with Michael before the shooting. It turned out that Michael lived with his girlfriend, the owner of the Jeep Cherokee he was seen driving. When questioned, the girlfriend admitted that Michael had the car on the fateful morning and was working for his old boss, Jerrelle.
As for Michael, he denied having anything to do with Ryan’s killing and asked for a lawyer. Michael’s cell phone GPS data placed him at the crime scene at the time of the killing, and also revealed that he met with Jerrelle after the deed was done. Armed with enough evidence against Jerrelle, the detectives went to arrest him at his home, but he had already left town by then. The police then tracked him down at a second home in Houston, Texas, where he was hiding. When they knocked on his door with an arrest warrant, Jerrelle took off on foot, but after a short chase, he was taken into custody.
Upon searching his home, the police found multiple gold watches, lavish clothing, and $30,000 in cash in a safe, suggesting he had been living a luxurious life. When interrogated, he admitted to being involved in the payroll scam but denied having anything to do with the murder. According to investigative reports, it was Jerrelle and Michael who visited Ryan around 9 pm two days before the murder. Michael was allegedly the man who knocked on the door and asked to use the phone. The detectives concluded that Michael was dressed in black on the morning of October 21, 2021, and ambushed Ryan near his workplace by firing multiple rounds at him and fleeing the scene.
Jerrelle Smith and Michael Poydras Are Serving Life Terms in Separate Colorado Prisons
In 2022, while Jerrelle Smith was awaiting his trial, Ryan Dillard’s widow, Melanie Rinko, filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against him. The following year, in July 2023, Michael Poydras’ homicide trial commenced. After two weeks of testimonies, on July 21, the jury deliberated and convicted him of first-degree murder for being the trigger man in the shooting death of Ryan. A few days later, on July 27, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In early August 2024, Jerrelle stood trial for orchestrating Ryan Dillard’s death.
During the three-week trial, the prosecution highlighted the defendant’s payroll scam, through which he reportedly siphoned more than $100,000 and gave extra money to several other employees at the company. Finally, on August 29, he was found guilty of first-degree murder, racketeering, and theft by an Adams County jury. The next month, in September, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the first-degree murder charge alone. 46-year-old Jerrelle Smith is currently incarcerated at the Crowley County Correctional Facility in Olney Springs, Colorado, while 35-year-old Michael Poydras is held at Sterling Correctional Facility in Sterling, Colorado.
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