Bio

Larry Grant Lonchar was born on September 3, 1951, in Battle Creek, Michigan. By 1986, he was living in Georgia and was connected to Jonesboro, south of Atlanta. Before the murders, Lonchar owed several thousand dollars to a bookmaking operation run from a condominium in DeKalb County, Georgia. The operation was connected to Charles Wayne Smith and his son Steven Smith. This gambling debt became the main known motive behind the crime.

Lonchar went to the condominium with Mitchell Wells, who was also involved in the attack. The evidence showed that both men took part in the violence inside the home. After his conviction, Lonchar became known for his long legal history. He resisted many efforts to appeal his death sentence, while his sister tried to continue legal challenges on his behalf. Courts later found that Lonchar understood his legal situation and could decide for himself whether to continue appeals.

In the final years before his execution, Lonchar also asked to donate his organs before death. He argued that electrocution would make organ donation impossible. The appeal did not stop his execution. He was executed by electrocution in Georgia on November 14, 1996.

Murder Story

The murders took place on October 13, 1986, at a condominium in DeKalb County, Georgia. The condominium was used for a bookmaking operation run by Charles Wayne Smith and his son Steven Smith. Larry Grant Lonchar owed the operation several thousand dollars. On the day of the crime, Lonchar went to the condominium with Mitchell Wells.

Four people were inside the condominium when Lonchar and Wells arrived. Wayne Smith, Steven Smith, and Margaret Sweat were in the living room. Richard Smith, another son of Wayne Smith, was in a bedroom. Richard later survived the attack and became the key witness to what happened inside the home.

Richard Smith testified that he heard a knock at the door and then saw Lonchar enter the living room. Lonchar displayed a badge and identified himself as Special Agent Larry Lonchar. Wayne Smith and Steven Smith were then handcuffed. Richard then heard four or five gunshots from the living room. Soon after, Mitchell Wells entered Richard’s bedroom and shot him several times. Richard survived by pretending to be dead while the condominium was ransacked.

After the first round of violence, Richard Smith reached an extension telephone in the bedroom. He heard Margaret Sweat speaking to police on a 911 call. During the call, Sweat told the dispatcher that people had been shot and that she had crawled to the phone. Then she realized the attackers had returned. The recording captured her pleading and referring to “Larry” before the call ended.

The victims suffered severe injuries. Wayne Smith was shot in the chest, back, and head. Steven Smith was shot in the chest and head. Margaret Sweat was shot in the shoulder, stabbed 17 times in the neck, and stabbed three times in the chest. Richard Smith was shot in the back and grazed on the head, but he survived.

Later that evening, Lonchar arrived at his cousin’s house wearing a trench coat. His hands were cut. He asked whether Wells had been there earlier and threatened to kill him. He also made statements showing that he had attacked Margaret Sweat and cut her throat. His cousin then drove him to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Lonchar took a plane to Texas.

Lonchar was arrested on October 20, 1986, at a Western Union station in Mission, Texas, when he went there to pick up money that his cousin had wired to him. He was later returned to Georgia to face charges in DeKalb County.

Lonchar was indicted on November 24, 1986. His trial took place from June 22 to June 27, 1987. On June 25, 1987, he was convicted in the Superior Court of DeKalb County on three counts of malice murder and one count of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to death for each murder count and to 21 years in prison for the aggravated assault on Richard Smith. The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Lonchar’s convictions and death sentences on July 13, 1988, and denied reconsideration on July 29, 1988. The United States Supreme Court later denied review.

The case continued for years because of legal questions about Lonchar’s willingness to give up further appeals. His sister, Chris Lonchar Kellogg, tried to act on his behalf and argued that he was not competent to stop legal challenges. Courts reviewed his mental condition and found that he understood his sentence, his legal options, and the consequences of ending further review. The federal appeals court ruled that his sister did not have standing to continue the case for him.

Lonchar also made a later appeal connected to Georgia’s method of execution. He argued that electrocution would destroy organs he wanted to donate and asked for time for Georgia to consider lethal injection. The courts did not grant relief that prevented the execution. Larry Grant Lonchar was executed by electrocution in Georgia on November 14, 1996. He was 45 years old. His execution was carried out for the murders of Charles Wayne Smith, Steven Wayne Smith, and Margaret Sweat.