Bio

Russell Lee Smith was born on February 6, 1947, in Bessemer, Alabama. He faced tragedy early in his life. His father died in an ore mine accident when Russell was just four years old. His mother passed away less than a year later, which left him orphaned. At a very young age, he lost both of his parents. Russell also had an older sister, but she died from a heart attack when she was only 19 years old.

When he was 17, Russell moved to Dayton, Ohio, to live with his aunt Evelyn Harris. In 1968, he got married to a woman named Laura, but their relationship did not last. Laura eventually left him, which led Russell to feel very despondent and not care much about his life.

Throughout his young adult years, Russell had several encounters with the law. He was arrested for drunkenness, armed robbery, auto theft, and attempted breaking and entering. In 1970, he pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter. This was because he had killed a man during a shootout at a bar in Dayton. As a result, he was sentenced to prison for one to ten years and ended up serving ten months at the Mansfield Reformatory.

While in prison, two psychiatrists examined Russell. They said he showed signs of being a sociopath. They noted that he would react violently in very stressful situations. This worried them, as they believed it would cause problems for him in the future. Despite this assessment, Russell was placed on probation in July 1971 after his release from prison. He continued to receive psychiatric treatment after that.

Evelyn described Russell as easy-going and soft-spoken. However, she also mentioned that he could become irritable if someone pushed him too far. About two weeks before his violent actions, Russell talked to Evelyn about his family's early deaths. He made her the beneficiary on his life insurance policy because he said, "Nobody knows what's going to happen."

Murder Story

On May 24, 1975, Russell Lee Smith began a shooting spree in Dayton, Ohio. He was with his girlfriend, Joan Marie Gatewood, and they drove to a motorcycle club. There, he confronted Joseph Picket, whom he suspected of dating Gatewood. An argument broke out, and Smith shot Picket. He also wounded Ocie Lee Curry when Curry came outside to check on the situation.

Afterward, Smith returned to the car with Gatewood. They argued, and in a moment of rage, Smith shot Gatewood in the head. He then drove towards a hospital, but on the way, he shot James Bailey outside a YMCA. Upon reaching the hospital, Smith discarded Gatewood's body and continued his rampage.

As he drove through the suburbs, he forced George Christopherson off the road and shot at him. A few blocks later, he attacked the Baltozer family. He fired into their car, injuring multiple family members, including a young girl, Heather, who was shot in the stomach.

Smith then stopped at a diner, where he took Paulette Couch hostage. He later confronted Tom Edwards and forced him to let his girlfriend Lisa Hardin into the vehicle. Smith killed Couch when she tried to escape. He then kidnapped Hardin and took both women to a wooded area, where he sexually assaulted them.

After the assault, Smith went to another house to ask for directions. When the woman at the door refused to help, he shot into her house. He also wounded Ann Wencelwicz with a shot in the neck, after she told him she couldn’t help.

As police began to close in on him around 2:22 a.m., Smith flagged down a car. Just as he was about to shoot the driver, he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.