Randall Lee Smith
Encyclopedia
Randall Lee Smith was a convicted murderer from Pearisburg, Virginia
. He pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Robert Mountford Jr. and Laura Susan Ramsay, who were killed while hiking the Appalachian Trail
, in May 1981. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but was released in 1996 on mandatory parole after serving only 15 years. Both Smith's sentence and his early release were met with anger by the victims' families as well as the hiking community. Hikers protested outside the courtroom the day after his sentencing, and a spokesman for the Appalachian Trail Conference said Smith is the "first person convicted of murdering a hiker who has had the opportunity to leave prison". His probation ended in 2006.
On May 6, 2008, Smith attempted to kill two fishermen less than two miles from the site of the 1981 murders. He befriended the two fishermen, who shared their dinner with Smith, before opening fire on them without warning. Both men were shot twice, but survived. Smith was arrested that day after attempting to escape in one of the victim's trucks and subsequently crashing. He died in jail four days later as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.
The novel Murder on the Appalachian Trail, published by Jess Carr in 1985, is a fictionalized account of the 1981 murders.
Pearisburg, Virginia
Pearisburg is a town in Giles County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,729 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Giles County.Pearisburg is part of the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. He pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Robert Mountford Jr. and Laura Susan Ramsay, who were killed while hiking the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
, in May 1981. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but was released in 1996 on mandatory parole after serving only 15 years. Both Smith's sentence and his early release were met with anger by the victims' families as well as the hiking community. Hikers protested outside the courtroom the day after his sentencing, and a spokesman for the Appalachian Trail Conference said Smith is the "first person convicted of murdering a hiker who has had the opportunity to leave prison". His probation ended in 2006.
On May 6, 2008, Smith attempted to kill two fishermen less than two miles from the site of the 1981 murders. He befriended the two fishermen, who shared their dinner with Smith, before opening fire on them without warning. Both men were shot twice, but survived. Smith was arrested that day after attempting to escape in one of the victim's trucks and subsequently crashing. He died in jail four days later as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.
The novel Murder on the Appalachian Trail, published by Jess Carr in 1985, is a fictionalized account of the 1981 murders.