Randall Lee Smith (June 29, 1953 – May 10, 2008) was an American convicted murderer from

Pearisburg, Virginia Pearisburg is a town in and the county seat of Giles County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,909 at the time of the 2020 census. Pearisburg is part of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg metropolitan area. History Pearisburg was founded ...

. He pleaded guilty shortly before trial commenced to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of hikers Robert Mountford Jr. and Laura Susan Ramsay, both 27-year-old social workers from Maine who were murdered by Smith while hiking the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...

in May 1981. He was sentenced to two concurrent 15 year terms, in a plea bargain, and released in 1996 on mandatory

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

after serving 15 years. Smith's sentence and his early release were both met with anger by the victims' families as well as the hiking community. Hikers protested outside the courtroom the day after his sentencing, and a spokesman for the

Appalachian Trail Conference The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC; formerly Appalachian Trail Conference) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Appalachian Trail, a route in the eastern United States that runs from Maine to Georgia. Founded in 1 ...

said Smith is the "first person convicted of murdering a hiker who has had the opportunity to leave prison". His probation ended in 2006. On May 6, 2008, Smith attempted to kill Scott Johnston, 38, and Sean Farmer, 33, on a fishing trip near

Dismal Creek Dismal Creek is a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia. It has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction, and a "Mountain ...

, less than two miles from the site of the 1981 murders. He was befriended by the two men, who shared their dinner with Smith, before he opened fire on them without warning, shooting Farmer in the head and chest and Johnston in the neck and back; both would survive their wounds. Smith was arrested that day after attempting to escape in Johnston’s truck and subsequently crashing. He died in jail four days later as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. The novel ''Murder on the Appalachian Trail'' (1985), by Jess Carr, is a fictionalized account of the 1981 murders. The 1981 murders and 2008 attacks were depicted in the Investigation Discovery series ''Dead Silent: The Curse of Dismal Creek'', season 1, episode 1, broadcast on October 25, 2016. Smith was also referenced in season 12, episode 4 of ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral ...

.'' The 2008 attack was also featured on season 2, episode 17 of '' I Survived...'' The ‘’ MrBallen Podcast’’ also featured the 2008 attack on episode 262.

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1954 births 1981 murders in the United States 2008 deaths American people convicted of murder American people who died in prison custody May 2008 crimes in the United States People convicted of murder by Virginia Prisoners who died in Virginia detention People from Pearisburg, Virginia Road incident deaths in Virginia {{US-crime-bio-stub