Philadelphia man sentenced to up to 52 years in prison for Philadelphia Mills Mall murder

A Philadelphia man who shot and killed 21-year-old Domonic Billa in the Philadelphia Mills Mall more than two years ago was sentenced Friday to up to 52 years in prison.

Gregory Smith, 23, killed Billa and shot at another man after a fight broke out in the mall’s food court in March 2021. He was convicted of murder and attempted murder and will spend between 26 and 52 years behind bars, Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a statement. Smith was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to Billa’s family.

Billa’s mother, Nakisha, said Friday that she was disappointed in the sentence. Smith’s punishment, she said, provided no comfort to her or her family

“No amount of time would make this wrong right because Domonic isn’t here,” Nakisha Billa said. “My hope is that he [Smith] would have gotten a life sentence without parole, because we are serving a life sentence without Domonic. A life sentence of pain, grief, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression. It’s never-ending for us.”

When police arrived that afternoon after a report of a shooting inside the mall, they found Billa on the ground in the food court with several gunshot wounds to his chest, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man Smith shot at was not injured.

The shooting triggered a lockdown at the mall, but Smith was able to escape. He was arrested the next month.

An attorney for Smith could not be reached.

The jury had not done a good job analyzing the evidence, said Nakisha Billa. She felt that the criminal justice system had failed her, she said.

“It’s not enough. It’s not enough,” she said. “His mother still gets to talk to him [Smith] and hear his voice. She’ll still be able to see him. She might still be able to hug him. He took that away from me. I will never see my son again. So it will never be right.”