Per reports, the defendant, later identified as 65-year-old Smith, kidnapped and ra-ed 8-year-old girl, Cherlsh, until her ‘parts were destroyed’. But, unfortunately, prosecutors said that this is when the story gets even worse. The elderly man lured the girl’s family to WaImart and then left with just her. According to Rayne, the vitim’s mother, she and her three daughters, including 8-year-old Cherlsh, were shopping when a stranger changed their lives forever. StruggIing financially, the mother said she thought that Smith was the blessing she needed when he approached her and offered to help her out. Little did she know, his kind gesture was all a front to get what he really wanted, and it would lead to a mother’s worst nightmare.
After seeing the mother struggle to pay for her children’s outfits, Smith lured the family to Walmart, gaining their trust with promises of new clothes and a McDonald’s meal at the store. Unfortunately, Rayne allowed Cherish to go with Smith to get the food after he had helped the mother and her girls shop for the clothes, but her daughter would never return from the McDonald’s restaurant at the front of the store. When the mother realized her 8-year-old daughter had vanished along with the stranger, she frantically called 911, but it was too late. Cherish’s body was found the following day in front of a church.
Not only had the young, innocent girl been kidnapped and murdered, she was ra-ed as well — the details of which a courtroom had to hear when Smith was captured and brought to trial for kidnapping, se-ual battery, and first-degree murder. “I was yelling, ‘Call 911!” the mother said, speaking of the moment she realized Cherish was missing. “My daughter’s been taken,’ and no one would help me right away,” she added. Little did she know the hell that Cherish was facing during those moments — a hell the medical examiner was able to describe to the court when asked to give her testimony at the trial of Smith. According to Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Rao’s testimony, Cherish’s ge-italia was totally distorted due to the viciousness of the ra-e.
In addition, Smith strangled the child to death with an item of clothing as he ra-ed her, all while her right eye bled due to the force of the strangulation. She estimated that it took the child, who also had blunt force trauma injuries to the head, 3 to 5 minutes to die. Upon hearing her testimony, jurors were left in tears. The jury had previously heard secret jail recordings in which State Attorney Nelson says Smith can be heard bragging about the crime. “She had a lot for a white girl,” he was heard telling another inmate on the tape, allegedly referring to his 8-year-old victim’s bu-tocks. He was also heard telling his fellow inmate that he targets 12-year-old girls. Smith, who was convicted of ra-ing and killing the 8-year-old child, was sentenced to death.
