Don Smith - any updates?

[ididn'tdoit]

Hey everyone! I re-watched this segment yesterday but I couldn't find anything about this sad case here on the board.

For those of you who don't remember he was the guy who picked up a hitchhiker and was later found murdered.

This mysterious man was seen with Don several times, including at his daughter's work when she wasn't there and at a bar where he met his daughter and was obviously drunk. His daughter became quite upset with him for making a scene and kind of snapped at him which of course she regretted because that was the last time she ever saw him alive.

Don's pickup truck was later involved in a car accident in which a man who fitted the description of the hitchhiker took off and was never seen again.

Anyone knows if this was ever solved or if there was an update?

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by ididn'tdoit

Anyone knows if this was ever solved or if there was an update?

As of a couple of weeks ago when this was aired on Lifetime (with Farina) there was no update in this case.

[justins5256]

The Don Smith case reminds me of the Phillip Fraiser case. Both men were likely murdered by hitchhikers they picked up while traveling. Also, the hitchhikers seemingly didn't care that they were seen in the presence of their respective victims and carried out the the murders despite that fact. Considering that both Smith and Fraiser likely had no relationship with their killers before they crossed paths out on the road, these crimes will be extremely difficult to solve.

I am not aware of an update in either case.

[ididn'tdoit]

Thanks guys, what a shame he hasn't been caught - just as I suspected though

What beats me is why the hitchhiker had to kill him . Don didn't seem like he had a lot of money or anything, such a senseless crime.

Anyway, I agree with you justins5256, that's what strikes me the most about this case and Phillip Fraser - the fact that the hitchhikers were seen several times and they were able to come up with some pretty good composites yet both are (to our knowledge) still at large.

[RobinW]

Though there's nothing funny about the case itself, the re-enactment provided one of my all-time biggest UM laughs when Don Smith drunkenly turns to everyone in the bar and yells: "ANYONE WANNA FIGHT?!" .

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by RobinW

Though there's nothing funny about the case itself, the re-enactment provided one of my all-time biggest UM laughs when Don Smith drunkenly turns to everyone in the bar and yells: "ANYONE WANNA FIGHT?!" .

I always found that quite amusing too.

[WishfulDreamer]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

I always found that quite amusing too.

Especially the look on the daughter's face right after he says it. She pretty much looks like she wants to say "I'm outta here!"

[TheCars1986]

There is absolutely nothing about this case online, outside of UM related websites. That's very frustruating because I think this has got to be one of the most senseless crimes UM ever profiled. And, thanks to UM's ambiguity, we're left with several questions:

-Were Don's two dogs he had with him at the time of his death ever found?
-If they were located, where were they?
-Did Don ever tell his daughter who the "hitchiker" was, and how they met?
-What was the motive behind Don's murder? To gain access to a truck?

I'm sure the daughter had to have been somewhat curious as to who the guy was sitting in her father's truck. I wonder if she did in fact ask him who his was and if Don offered any clues to the guy's identity. Unfortunately, if he did, UM left that part out. I tend to think the killer is either dead or in prison for another crime. I would still like to see the killer identified. I wonder if "Larry Monroe" was actually his real name or just an alias.

[Victoria81]

Just watched this. You would think he could be found :/ I like how the daughter did the re-inactment. You don't normally see that!

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

There is absolutely nothing about this case online, outside of UM related websites. That's very frustruating because I think this has got to be one of the most senseless crimes UM ever profiled. And, thanks to UM's ambiguity, we're left with several questions:

-Were Don's two dogs he had with him at the time of his death ever found?
-If they were located, where were they?
-Did Don ever tell his daughter who the "hitchiker" was, and how they met?
-What was the motive behind Don's murder? To gain access to a truck?

I'm sure the daughter had to have been somewhat curious as to who the guy was sitting in her father's truck. I wonder if she did in fact ask him who his was and if Don offered any clues to the guy's identity. Unfortunately, if he did, UM left that part out. I tend to think the killer is either dead or in prison for another crime. I would still like to see the killer identified. I wonder if "Larry Monroe" was actually his real name or just an alias.

Like justin I too think of Philip Fraser. I wonder what made Don decide to pick "Larry Monroe" up to begin with being that he had a truck full of belongings and two large dogs.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

Like justin I too think of Philip Fraser. I wonder what made Don decide to pick "Larry Monroe" up to begin with being that he had a truck full of belongings and two large dogs.

My best guess would be company for the long trip. The weirdest part for me is the fact that "Larry Monroe" was the one who went into the hospital looking for Don's daughter. Why was he the one who went in instead of Don? And if "Larry Monroe" planned on killing Don all along, would he really care that much about helping him find his daughter?

[Victoria81]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

My best guess would be company for the long trip. The weirdest part for me is the fact that "Larry Monroe" was the one who went into the hospital looking for Don's daughter. Why was he the one who went in instead of Don? And if "Larry Monroe" planned on killing Don all along, would he really care that much about helping him find his daughter?

Yeah really...he had no problem showing his face all over.

[justins5256]

Bump.

I just watched this one recently.

My gut feeling is that Don Smith probably picked up this guy "Larry Monroe" who was hitchhiking. From the re-enactments, and some of the comments made by the Smith's daughter, I got the vibe that Smith was an "angry drunk." (Who wants to fight?! I can whip anyone in here!!) I think he could have gotten in to an argument with the hitchhiker, and the hitchhiker killed Smith in a rage, and disposed of Smith's body, then stole Smith's truck and continued on to wherever his final destination was (or at least as far as he could get before the accident, which forced him to flee for obvious reasons). I say this because the hitchhiker (assuming he was the killer) allowed himself to be seen in Smith's company by numerous witnesses, including some who had a vested interest in Smith's well-being (the daughter, the daughter's co-workers). I doubt he would do this if murder was his endgame. Also, it sounds as though Smith was beaten and hit repeatedly in the head with some sort of jack that belonged in his truck. This would also be in line with anger being a motive, and the perp using whatever weapon was within reach, as opposed to using a gun or knife of his own.

As to what his ultimate end-game or plan was with Smith, it's hard to say. It could be something as simple as the guy was hitchhiking, he killed Smith in a rage and then had to dispose of his body and vehicle. I just have a hard time believing the guy would have allowed himself to be seen by so many people if he planned to hurt Smith from the get-go.

All this being said, I wonder how deeply the police checked for "Larry Monroe" - if the guy wasn't intending to kill Smith, that could, hypothetically, be his real name. Additionally, I wonder if any fingerprints were found in the car Monroe was driving, or in the motel room. I think it's reasonable to assume he left prints, as he would have been driving the vehicle and not planning to get in to an accident and ditch it as he did. From that, perhaps we could surmise the guy does not have a record, as he would have been located by now.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by justins5256

Bump.

I just watched this one recently.

My gut feeling is that Don Smith probably picked up this guy "Larry Monroe" who was hitchhiking. From the re-enactments, and some of the comments made by the Smith's daughter, I got the vibe that Smith was an "angry drunk." (Who wants to fight?! I can whip anyone in here!!) I think he could have gotten in to an argument with the hitchhiker, and the hitchhiker killed Smith in a rage, and disposed of Smith's body, then stole Smith's truck and continued on to wherever his final destination was (or at least as far as he could get before the accident, which forced him to flee for obvious reasons). I say this because the hitchhiker (assuming he was the killer) allowed himself to be seen in Smith's company by numerous witnesses, including some who had a vested interest in Smith's well-being (the daughter, the daughter's co-workers). I doubt he would do this if murder was his endgame. Also, it sounds as though Smith was beaten and hit repeatedly in the head with some sort of jack that belonged in his truck. This would also be in line with anger being a motive, and the perp using whatever weapon was within reach, as opposed to using a gun or knife of his own.

As to what his ultimate end-game or plan was with Smith, it's hard to say. It could be something as simple as the guy was hitchhiking, he killed Smith in a rage and then had to dispose of his body and vehicle. I just have a hard time believing the guy would have allowed himself to be seen by so many people if he planned to hurt Smith from the get-go.

All this being said, I wonder how deeply the police checked for "Larry Monroe" - if the guy wasn't intending to kill Smith, that could, hypothetically, be his real name. Additionally, I wonder if any fingerprints were found in the car Monroe was driving, or in the motel room. I think it's reasonable to assume he left prints, as he would have been driving the vehicle and not planning to get in to an accident and ditch it as he did. From that, perhaps we could surmise the guy does not have a record, as he would have been located by now.

That's a very good point "Larry Monroe" going out of his way being seen is evidence that murder was not his plan from the beginning. He was the one who entered the hospital to find Don's daughter, and he was the one who entered the bar first. I do not think the murder was a crime of passion, however. Shortly after Don's sister wired him $200, he was murdered. And "Larry Monroe" was seen with Don when he picked up the money.

[justins5256]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

That's a very good point "Larry Monroe" going out of his way being seen is evidence that murder was not his plan from the beginning. He was the one who entered the hospital to find Don's daughter, and he was the one who entered the bar first. I do not think the murder was a crime of passion, however. Shortly after Don's sister wired him $200, he was murdered. And "Larry Monroe" was seen with Don when he picked up the money.

So do you think this was a robbery turned murder? Or, do you think Monroe knew he had the money (wired to him for some other reason) and just decided to kill him for it?