Report: Blood clot killed Appalachian Trail suspect

By Rex Bowman
Media General News Service

Published: August 8, 2008

ROANOKE — The State Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that Randall Lee Smith’s death in a Pulaski County jail four days after he shot two men off the Appalachian Trail was caused by a blood clot in his lungs.

The medical examiner’s office in Roanoke ruled that the clot, known as an acute pulmonary thromboembolism, was the result of injuries Smith sustained when he wrecked a pickup truck while fleeing the scene of the May 6 shooting.

The finding allowed coroners to categorize the death as accidental, said Tracie Cooper, district administrator for the office.

The finding also allows Virginia State Police to close their investigation into Smith’s death.

“This medical examiner’s report confirmed the initial findings of our investigation, which was that there was no foul play and his death was accidental,“ said Sgt. Michael Conroy of the state police. “Our involvement is over.“

Smith, 54, was infamous in Pearisburg, where he lived, and in surrounding Giles County for killing two hikers on the Appalachian Trail in 1981, a crime for which he spent nearly 15 years in prison. On May 6 in Giles, he shot and wounded two fishermen at their camp along Dismal Creek in Giles, not far from where he killed the hikers 27 years earlier.

As Smith fled in one of the fishermen’s trucks, he lost control and the truck flipped over. He was treated at a hospital in Roanoke and released into Giles deputies’ custody May 9. The following day at 4:55 p.m., he was found unconscious in his cell in the New River Valley Regional Jail.

At the time of his death, Smith faced two counts of attempted capital murder.

Scott Johnston of Bluefield, one of the men Smith wounded, said yesterday that the autopsy results do not surprise him.

“My intuition told me it was a blood clot,“ said Johnston, 38. “Given his age and health and the crash, my intuition told me that’s what it was. But I’m glad to finally know what the cause of his death was.“

Johnston and fishing buddy Sean Farmer, 33, of Bluefield, were relaxing at their campsite May 6 when Smith walked in with a dog. After a meal of trout and beans, Smith suddenly pulled out a pistol and began shooting at both men. Johnston was shot in the back and neck, while Farmer was shot in the face and chest. The two escaped by jumping into a Jeep and driving to a nearby home, where a rescue squad was called.