Chris Hansen: Who do you think, at the end of the day, is most responsible for Scott and Sean's survival? Smith, a convicted felon, was also known locally. Scott Johnston: And-- and talk-- and talking him, ya know--. He had told them his campsite was an hour away. The 1981 Appalachian Trail Hike That Ended In Murder - Grunge And I run up to the-- the house. Luckily, the pair survived. Tom Lawson: So we started interviewing people who knew him, who grew up with him. When Randall Lee Smith came out of the woods and shot Scott Johnston and Sean Farmer, he changed their lives forever. As 8:30 p.m. approached, darkness began to creep over the campground. Read More: Randall Lee Smith Now: Is The Killer Dead or Alive? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. But it's actually inside my sinus cavity. He was the son of Randall Ray Smith and Virginia Mae (Rubin) Smith, both survive him. I said, "Either I'll swallow, or I'll die." Tom Lawson: The prosecution attorney comes in and says, "I felt like that there was some holes in the case and I have struck a plea agreement with the defense attorneys.". No one has been arrested in the homicide. They have known each other from a young age, and their bond has only strengthened over the years. When Sean tore out of the campsite, he says he realized Scott was still back in the woods somewhere, wounded and bLeedingbut Scott saw Sean escape, and was already on the move. Rebecca Wight and Claudia Brenner were having sex in the woods in a Pennsylvania State Park while hiking the trail. Read our full Privacy Policy as well as Terms & Conditions. Scott Johnston: And - and we make it down to the botTom of the mountain. A state police trooper, alerted to the shootings, prepared to chase him. And I'm telling him, I'm like, "Slow down. Johnston and Farmer, while not sensing anything amiss as they sat by the fire, each privately wondered why Smith was staying so long. And, I mean, the rocks are flying and there's trees, and I'm screamin', "Sean, Sean!" I mean, we're both in a panic. Smith was arrested that day after attempting to escape in one of the victim's trucks and subsequently crashing. Randall is preceded in death by his sister Sheila Smith and his grandparents; Julia and Charles Rubin . He's blacking out. However, Sean did appear in the Investigation Discovery episode, where he provided a first-hand account of the terrifying attack. Randall Lee Smith. . Mountford was shot in the head and Ramsay had been beaten and stabbed. Because we just trying to convince ourselves this is not going to happen. I did see a large, spiked nail that had-- was used to put the shelter together. Farmer, feeling no pain, turned and ran toward his Jeep Cherokee, 20 feet away and parked on the other side of Johnston's pickup. Tom Lawson: Basically that Randall was gonna serve 15 years. Randall Lee Smith (center) leaves the Giles County courthouse in 17 Grisly & Outdoorsy Murder Cases - Investigation Discovery Randall Lee Smith Motor Vehicle Anatomy Weaponry Transports Get local news delivered to your inbox! And - and I can look over, and I can see he's shot in the face. Tom Lawson: When we shut that trail down, we caught holy "you know what.". I said, "We're both shot and we gotta get outta here." Ron Hamlin: And I said, "Did you shoot him?" And-- and I, I mean, I'm steering from the passenger side. In life Randall received his education from South Davie schools. He is survived by his mother Virginia Mae Smith, his father Randall Ray Smith, a son Brandon L. Smith of Mocksville, daughters Monica Weatherman and . We never found the weapon. Just us bein', you know, young, healthy guys. And for him, it was spine tingling, dj vu moment: He realized the attack on Scott and Sean was eerily similar to a bloody, double murder he had investigated years earlier. By comparison, the Pacific Crest Trail is longer (2,650 miles) althoughmarkedly younger trail has never seen a single murder. Randall was born in Duluth, Minnesota on October 16, 1946 to Basil E. and Bernice M. (Gidbout) Smith. ", Eugene Whittaker and his wife, who live nearby, have adopted Bo. It's getting dark, we got to go.' Tom Lawson: He walks out. Robert Mountford had been shot in the head, but police couldn't find the gun. Even now, it seems impossible to the two friends that they survived the shooting, and that wild ride down the mountain. Susan Ramsay was dead. Roberts said men at a small country store had insisted they'd have found and "taken care of" Smith if he hadn't been arrested. This guy kills two people. But help is miles away from their Appalachian Trail campsite - a long, dangerous drive down a dark mountain road. There-- there's a small bridge that you have to cross the creek. Smith was pronounced dead at a Pulaski County hospital about 6 p.m. Hamlin said officers found no external evidence of suicide. Susan Ramsay had been stabbed repeatedly in the chest, and hit in the back of the head with a blunt instrument. Select this result to view Randall Lee Smith's phone number, address, and more. And with Randall Lee Smith now in his jail, Lawson hoped he finally would get answers to questions he's wanted to ask for 27 years. Another lie. As she went down, he hits her in the back of the head. "It happened so fast, I was just thinking, I've got to get out of here.". Sean Farmer: I was - I guess - so drained. A patrolman saw him struggling with a woman at the side of the road and arrested him. The book that now was stamped with a bloody fingerprint. It has to be noted that this is very low when compared to the 3 to 4 million people that hike the trail each year. Chris Hansen: Where are the bullets now inside your body? The beauty of this wilderness can mask its danger. To keep creating The two men sat in a small brick home on Dismal Creek Road the same home to which they had fled after being shot and told the tale of how they barely escaped with their lives after inviting a hungry man and his seemingly starving dog into their camp in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Bowles said her sadness about Smith's death is tempered by gratitude that his tortured life is done. It charts travel writer Bill Brysons experiences hiking theAppalachian Trail. Smith declared the trout delicious but didn't eat with the relish Farmer and Johnston expected from a man who looked as if he'd missed many meals. Order Flowers for the Family. Sean Farmer & Scott Johnston Now: Where are Randall Lee Smith's On top of it, in 2008, Randall was already out on parole and was reported missing by his neighbor, which further increased worries. Contents 1 Background 2 1981 Murders and Release 3 Later Crimes and Death 4 Modus Operandi 5 Known Victims 6 On Criminal Minds 7 Sources Background Chris Hansen: Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Check in with them regularly. "He loved that dog and that dog loved him," Sherman Smith said. The two friends took us up to the campsite on brushy mountain where they cooked the stranger dinner, and swapped stories around the campfire. Virginia Smith learned at church Sunday morning about Randall Smith's death. After prison, Smith moved back to Pearisburg to live with his mother. The Appalachian Trail slices through the rugged mountains of southwestern Virginia, and is a magnet for nature lovers. But god damn, one of my faves, season 2 of Marcella is on Netflix and its way better than season 1 and way darker. And all I could see were, you know, shots of what's looked like fire, which were bullets discharging towards Scott. Hence, people did not think much when Sean and Scott decided to travel to Dismal Creek in May 2008. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. They knew his history and sometimes worried about what he might do to them, their children and grandchildren. The enormous vat of nacho cheese that you brought to my birthday party last weekend. "What the hell just happened?" Chris Hansen: What do you think saved you guys that night? Scott Johnston: --with the pedals, gas, brake --down the mountain. He would use several pseudonyms, posing as a professional photographer to lure his victims with the promise of a modeling career. Saturday Morning Serial - Murders in the Wild - Mix 105.1 1996- Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were found both with their throats cut in the Shenandoah National Park in the Virginia. And once the boards came up-- we saw that there was a large puddle of blood. And they were fishing together. Neighbors have described him as a lost soul, accompanied only by his dog, Bo. Authorities at the Wythe County joint dispatch center received the first 911 call around 2:30 a.m. Saturday from two hikers, presumably from the initial group, saying that they were being chased by a man with a machete, the complaint states. Scott Johnston: And he says, "Is this the guy that shot you?" Well, I- I felt around my neck. It's still there. Bland County Youtuber believes he's found Appalachian Trail killer's And I was coming back up the mountain. Sean Farmer: I was already in shock for almost bein' killed. Is Randall Lee Smith Dead or Alive? But he did. Sean Farmer: I'm just thankful that, you know, the beat goes on. So, we talked a little while. A True Crime Publication that looks into both new crimes and long lost forgotten crimes. The shocking crime drew national attention, and for the first time, a large portion of the trail was closed to the public. And it comes to a really sharp curve in the road. This time, however, the pair survived the attack, despite numerous gunshot wounds to the head, neck, and chest. And so I opened up the cooler and I pulled out a bag of trout. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Chris Hansen: Dark out. But I guess he figured out he and Bo weren't going to make it up there," she said. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help He compared Smith's prints to that print left in the book. A Killer Returns to the Appalachian Trail a True Crime Story Scott Johnston: Well, it's-- it's cost me a small fortune. I couldn't say anything. Chris Hansen: How much pressure was on you to solve this case and get that Appalachian Trail back open? Friends Scott Johnston and Sean Farmer say they've hiked the trails and fished the streams here most of their lives. He was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, a sentence that he accepted willingly. No one could believe anyone in our community would be so capable of so-- so much damage and so much horror. And--. Randall Lee Smith was arrested and charged with the 1981 Appalachian Trail murders.
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