Teenager to be tried as adult over December 2020 murders

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A teenager charged following the December 2020 deaths of four family members will be tried as an adult.

Kanawha Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Ballard held Tuesday a hearing regarding Gavin Smith.

According to authorities, a relative discovered the four bodies at the family’s home in the 1300 block of Cemetery Hill Drive in Elkview. Officials later identified the victims as Daniel Dale Long, 37, 39-year-old Rise Mae Saunders, 12-year-old Gage Ripley and 3-year-old Jameson Long.

Each person was shot with a firearm.

Gavin Smith was 16 years old at the time of the murders. He faces four counts of first-degree murder.

Another teenager, 17-year-old Rebecca Lynn Walker, entered a guilty plea last September over four counts of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Smith and Waler were in a relationship at the time of the murders.





More News

News
PSC approves settlements involving Mon Power, net-metering cases
Rate increase went into effect Tuesday.
March 27, 2024 - 9:42 pm
News
Speakers at Focus Forward symposium discuss AI capabilities in West Virginia
The event was organized by the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
March 27, 2024 - 8:30 pm
News
Justice vetoes vaccination exemption bill, draws praise from healthcare groups
Educational and healthcare organizations banded together to urge a veto.
March 27, 2024 - 6:35 pm
News
Testimony wraps up in attempt to remove 2 Jefferson County commissioners from office
Three-judge panel hears 2 days of testimony.
March 27, 2024 - 5:11 pm