Published: August 07, 2008 08:48 pm      

Trail shooter's death ruled accidental

BLUEFIELD, Va. — The state medical examiner found that a Giles County, Va., man who was accused of shooting two Tazewell County, Va., men in May died from complications related to a car wreck he had shortly after the shootings.

Randall Lee Smith, 54, of Pearisburg, Va., was pronounced dead at Pulaski Community Hospital on May 10, after correctional officers found him unresponsive at New River Regional Jail. Smith was taken to the jail after undergoing treatment at Carilion Hospital in Roanoke, Va., for injuries he received on May 6, when he wrecked the pickup truck he used to flee the scene of the shooting in Dismal area of Giles County on the Appalachian Trail.

“It’s almost three months to the day since this happened,” Scott Johnston, one of the shooting victims said. “I’m not surprised by the medical examiner’s findings.” Johnston, 33, of Bluefield, Va., said that when he considered the extent of the damage to his truck as well as Smith’s age, he thought that Smith died as a result of a blood clot. He said his source told him that, and the Associated Press later quoted State Police spokesman, Sgt. Michael Conroy as saying Smith died as a result of a blood clot.

“We’ll just have to see what happens next,” Johnston said.

Johnston and his lifelong friend, Sean Farmer, also 33 of Springville, Va., were camping at Walnut Flats and dining on trout Johnston caught earlier in the day. The two men invited Smith to eat with them and the three swapped sports stories through the late afternoon. Smith announced that he was leaving, got up and started firing at Johnston and Farmer.

In a Daily Telegraph interview a few weeks after the shooting, Johnston said that he had left the keys in his pickup truck, and realized that Smith would probably take the truck after Johnston and Farmer escaped the shooting spree in an effort to get help for the wounds they received. The Tazewell men found help and provided authorities with a good description of Smith, as well as of Johnston’s vehicle. Smith wrecked Johnston’s on Sugar Run Road in Giles County after a state trooper spotted the suspect vehicle and started following Smith.

Smith pleaded guilty in 1984 to two counts of second degree murder in connection to the May 1981 murders of two Appalachian Trail hikers, Laura Susan Ramsay and Robert Mountford, both 27, and both from the state of Maine. He served his 10-year prison term, was released in 1996 and returned home to Pearisburg where he lived until his death.

Corinne Geller, public relations manager of the Virginia State Police in Richmond, Va., said that the state police dropped the reckless driving charge they had against Smith after his death. The Giles County Sheriff’s Office charged Smith with two counts of attempted capital murder, two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, grand larceny and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Johnston said that both he and Farmer have gone back to work, but the story of their incredible survival has taken on a life of its own. He said the story will be featured on an up-coming segment of “Dateline NBC,” perhaps in November. He said that Chris Hansen of NBC should be in the area in the next few weeks to do interviews for the show.

Johnston said that he has been interviewed for a segment on the Biography Channel’s series titled, “I Survived.” He added that Wil Haygood, a reporter with the Washington Post is working on a book about the incident and that at least four Hollywood screenwriters are considering the story.

Smith was released from Carilion Hospital on May 9. The state medical examiner ruled out foul play in Smith’s death.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com