This is such a sad story.. I also grew up in Delaware and I do not know what's more disturbing, the crime that was committed and the extent of it.. Or the fact that I knew him, we lived a block or two away from each other and even went to high school together.. It really is unfortunate that an innocent person had to lose her life, especially in the way she did..
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious issue and the military needs to address it.. My heart and prayers go out to both families, because this is a tragedy for the both families..
Police today charged a 24-year-old Wilmington man with abducting and murdering a Brandywine Hills woman Monday morning while she was walking her dog.
Dwight L. Smith of the 200 block of W. 36th St., told police he 'clicked on' Monday and decided he "wanted to kill someone,'' a police arrest affidavit said.
So while driving a few blocks from his home, he struck 65-year-old Marsha Lee with his red Hummer SUV and shoved her inside while she pleaded for mercy, a police arrest affidavit said.
He first told her he would take her to the hospital but instead "bashed her in the head'' and "struck her head on a rail several times,'' the affidavit said.
Lee's naked body was found later Monday near railroad tracks adjacent to a DelDot maintenance yard beneath an I-95 overpass, where Talley Road and Rockwood Road meet, about a half-mile from her home,police said.
Smith told police he removed Lee's clothes because he wanted the murder "to look like something else,'' the affidavit said.
Police said they found no evidence that Lee was sexually assaulted.
Smith faces two counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping in Lee's death.
The second count of murder was lodged because he committed the killing during a kidnapping, city police Master Sgt. Paul Reutter said. Smith was arraigned and sent to Young Correctional Institution, where he is being held without bail.
Lee, of the 4400 block of Whittier Road, was abducted while walking the family dog about 9 a.m. Monday on Lowell Road near Matson Run Parkway.
Brandywine Hills is an upscale enclave of handsome stone and brick houses and is home to prominent Delawareans such as U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., and Orlando George Jr., president of Delaware Technical and Community College.
A witness out walking in the area told investigators he heard a collision and saw a red Hummer back up on Lowell Road. Someone exited the SUV, appeared to pick up something on the road and put it in the rear seat, then fled on East Matson Run Parkway, the witness told police. The witness found a pair of shoes, knit cap, gloves, sunglasses and dog treats in the road, the affidavit said.
Another witness reported hearing a woman scream "You're hurting me'' or "You're killing me'' to the man.
When Lee's husband returned from an appointment at 10 a.m., the dog was running loose and Lee was gone. He contacted police about 11 a.m. and identified the clothing found on the street as his wife's belongings.
About 3:45 p.m., a state police helicopter assisting a ground search for Lee spotted a body in a wooded area near the DelDOT facility. Lee had suffered severe head trauma, the affidavit said.
About 7 p.m., city police Sgt. John Drysdale saw a red Hummer with tinted windows in the 300 block of Lea Boulevard -- a few blocks from the abduction scene -- and stopped the vehicle driven by Smith.
Drysdale saw what appeared to be blood splattered on the driver's side of the vehicle, which had minor front-end damage. Police obtained a search warrant and tested the splatters, which tested positive for blood. Police also found what appeared to be blood inside the SUV, the affidavit said.
Police interrogated Smith, who denied having any knowledge about blood being on or inside his vehicle but said no one else had been driving the red Hummer, according to the affidavit.
Officers with another warrant also went to Smith's house, and seized a bright green shirt and black pants that Smith's wife said he had been wearing earlier Monday. Both pieces of clothing, the affidavit said, also appeared to have "blood splatters.''
Wow this is insane.. The military should really make sure that the soldiers are ready to be integrated back into life as civilians, otherwise worse things could happen.. My prayers are with both families..
ReplyDeleteYea it really is.. Haven't heard anything else about the case, so I have no idea what happened to him..
ReplyDelete