CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A trial date has been set for a man charged in connection with a 2021 murder in Kanawha County.
Michael Wayne Smith, 44, appeared in Kanawha County Circuit Court for his pretrial hearing Wednesday morning where Judge Kenneth Ballard set his trial for Feb. 12, 2024 at 9 a.m.
Smith is charged with first degree murder for the shooting death of Cheyanne Johnson, 35, of Jackson County. She had been reported missing in the Cottageville area on April 29, 2021. Her body was found in a deep water well in Sissonville a few days later.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Smith’s attorney Lauren Thompson filed several motions including one that involves unsealing grand jury transcripts. There’s also a transcript from an interview at the Child Advocacy Center that Thompson wants unsealed. Thompson also asked whether the time on the request for alibi was correct to which Kanawha County Assistant Prosecutor Debra Rusnak confirmed.
Rusnak told MetroNews it has taken a long time to move this case to trial due to several road blocks.
“We initially had an issue where the defendant hired a new attorney and I think it’s taken some time for her to get caught up. Frankly, this is a very technical case with a lot of evidence,” she said.
Prosecutors have been combing through three 6-inch binders full of documents and multiple flash drives with statements and other evidence, Rusnak said.
According to the criminal complaint, Smith admitted to shooting Johnson in the head with a rifle before dragging her body to a well and dumping her in it. Smith told authorities that Johnson had stolen his girlfriend’s car and that she was killed during an argument when she brought it back.
Smith’s girlfriend Virginia Smith, 31, no relation, previously pleaded guilty to first degree murder in February. She is expected to testify at Michael Smith’s trial as part of her plea agreement. She’s being held without bond at the South Central Regional Jail until she is sentenced at a later date.
Michael Smith is being held at the Mount Olive Correctional Center where he is currently serving a sentence for drug-related charges. He faces life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.
Rusnak said Michael Smith deserves to be locked up for good.
“We have an individual who has a violent history and who is a known violent criminal. The act that he committed that day was heinous,” she said. “To allow that atrocity to go unanswered doesn’t serve anyone the justice that should be served in this case.”
A pretrial hearing has been set for Jan. 30, 2024 at 10 a.m. in front of Judge Ballard.