Kermit Smith Jr.

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For the unrelated American college baseball coach, see Kermit Smith.
Kermit Smith Jr.
File:Kermit Smith Jr..jpg
Born(1957-06-07)June 7, 1957
Halifax County, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedJanuary 24, 1995(1995-01-24) (aged 37)
Central Prison, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)First degree murder
First degree kidnapping
Second degree rape
Robbery
Breaking and entering
Assault of a police officer
Simple assault
Criminal penaltyDeath

Kermit Smith Jr. (June 7, 1957 – January 24, 1995) was executed by the state of North Carolina for the kidnap, rape, and murder of a 20-year-old college cheerleader. At the time of his execution, The New York Times and Associated Press noted he was just the second white person to be executed for the murder of a black victim since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.[1]

Background

At about 8:30 p.m. on December 4, 1980, 23-year-old Kermit Smith Jr. of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina was taken into custody for the murder of 20-year-old Whelette Collins and the abduction of two other women after a basketball game the previous night at North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

The two surviving abductees, both age 19, told officers they were forced at gunpoint into the trunk of the car near Wesleyan's gymnasium, while Collins was forced to ride in the passenger seat from Rocky Mount to Weldon, North Carolina.[2] Smith took the women to a wooded area where he raped and bludgeoned Collins to death.

The two surviving abductees escaped Smith after attacking him with a lug wrench and a straightened-out safety pin. The women hid in the woods until morning when they were picked up on Interstate 95 by a passing motorist who stopped a North Carolina State Highway Patrol officer, who notified local authorities.[3]

When police arrived with the women at the scene hours later, they found Smith still there in bloody clothing. The women identified him and he was arrested on the spot. Collins's body was found nearby.[4]

Smith was sentenced to death on April 29, 1981, in Halifax County, North Carolina. In addition to death, he was sentenced to 40 years for rape and 10 years for robbery. Smith told reporters that he had regrets for his brutal actions but claimed he did not understand the significance of those actions due to stress. He further stated he was not particularly ready to die, but faced with spending the rest of his life in prison, he preferred the alternative.[5]

A diary Smith kept that was later recovered showed that he had long planned the crime, motivated by misogyny and hatred of women. He had previously served time for a violent attack on a couple, noting in his diary that he had intended on kidnapping the woman and taking her into the woods. In that case, Smith got an 18-month suspended sentence and three years probation for assault.[6]

In 1982, Kermit Smith was additionally sentenced to 25 years in prison for the kidnappings as part of a plea bargain.[7]

Smith was executed by lethal injection for the murder of Whelette Collins on January 24, 1995.[8]

See also

Sources

  1. ^ Waggoner, Martha (January 25, 1995). "Smith's Execution Only Second Time White Man Executed For Murdering Black Man". Associated Press. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  2. ^ "Authorities Are Pushing Probe In Student Death". Rocky Mount Telegram. Weldon. 1980-12-05. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-03-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Waggoner, Martha (1994-09-03). "Night of Terror Haunts Victims - Killer on Death Row". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  4. ^ State of North Carolina v. Kermit Smith, Jr. (Supreme Court of North Carolina 1982-06-02).
  5. ^ Bass, Mary Tom (1981-05-01). "Smith Given Death Penalty". Rocky Mount Telegram. Halifax. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-03-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Waggoner, Martha (1994-09-03). "Killer's Diary Spelled Out Plans for Attack". Associated Press. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  7. ^ "Smith: 25 Years on Kidnapping". Rocky Mount Telegram. Nashville. 1982-06-22. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-03-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "2 Inmates Executed in a Day". New York Times. January 26, 1995. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  • Jon Sorenson and Donald Wallace, "Prosecutorial Discretion in Seeking Death: An analysis of Racial disparity in the Pretrial Stages of Case Processing in a Midwestern county", Justice Quarterly 16 (1999): 559–578.

External links

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