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Thread: Donald Wayne Hartung Sr. Sentenced to 3 Consecutive Life Terms in 2015 FL “Witchcraft” Triple Murder

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    Donald Wayne Hartung Sr. Sentenced to 3 Consecutive Life Terms in 2015 FL “Witchcraft” Triple Murder


    Richard Thomas "R.T." Smith (youngest son, left), Voncile "Bonnie" Smith (mother, center) and John William Smith (older son, right).


    Donald Wayne Hartung, Sr.


    “Witchcraft” Suspected in Savage Murder of Family in Pensacola

    By J.B. Buinno
    WKRG

    Escambia County Deputies suspect witchcraft was a motivating factor in the savage murders of a mother and her two sons in Pensacola last week.

    Previous:

    http://wkrg.com/2015/08/03/mother-tw...ensacola-home/

    And in the latest shocking twist, one of the victims was a “critical member” of the Department of Homeland Security.

    As we reported on Monday
    , 77-year-old Voncile Smith and her two sons, 49-year-old Richard Thomas Smith and 47-year-old John William Smith, were found dead on Friday morning. The three bodies were discovered by deputies conducting a welfare check at their home on Deerfield Drive.

    WARNING: DISTURBING DETAILS BELOW

    At a press conference on Tuesday, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office released graphic details on how the three bodies were discovered.

    According to authorities, all three bodies were found beaten with claw hammers and laid out for some kind of ritual by the murderer. All three had their throats slit, and Richard Smith was found with a gunshot wound to the head.

    Richard Smith was described by Sheriff David Morgan as a “critical member” of the Department of Homeland Security. Morgan had to communicate with several national agencies to ensure his investigation didn’t pose a threat to national security.

    Authorities have evidence that led them to believe witchcraft was somehow involved in their deaths, saying it was a “ritualistic” act. Investigators noted that their murders occurred on the night of a blue moon, which is heavily referenced in witchcraft lore, and occurs once every three years.

    Investigators say they spoke to a person of interest in the case, but didn’t release a name or photo. All they confirmed was that the person of interest is a “white male” believed to have ties to a faction of witchcraft.

    The murders aren’t believed to be financially motivated either. The Smith family had a safe containing $7,000 in their home, but the suspect didn’t take anything of value in the aftermath of the crime, they said.

    Deputies also noted that the Smith family was “reclusive.” They lived in the same house for 27 years, rarely speaking to any of their neighbors on Deerfield Drive.

    http://wkrg.com/2015/08/04/witchcraf...-in-pensacola/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    Funerals Today for Victims of Ritualistic Murder in Pensacola


    By J.B. Buinno
    WKRG

    The elderly mother and her two sons who authorities say were killed in a ritualistic murder inside their Pensacola home will be laid to rest on Friday.

    Craver’s Funeral Home
    in Brewton is holding funeral services for Voncile “Bonnie” Smith, Richard Thomas “R.T.” Smith, and John William Smith at 1:00pm. Visitation will be held at the funeral home until 2:00pm, at which time they’ll be laid to rest at Damascus Cemetery.

    On the Craver’s Funeral Home website, the obituaries for the Smiths don’t include any details about their lives, nor do they mention any surviving family members. News 5 is told Bonnie Smith has a third son — the older, adopted sibling of R.T. and John — who has been interviewed by police.

    R.T. Smith was a “critical member” of the Department of Homeland Security, working as an Information Technology Manager, who reported to NAS Pensacola. John Smith was an employee at a local Wal-Mart store in Escambia County.

    The Smith family was found savagely murdered inside their home on July 31. According to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan, “witchcraft” was involved in the “ritualistic” murders of Bonnie and her two sons. A rare blue moon, which is referenced in some witchcraft lore, occurred around the same time as the murders, and the bodies were said to be laid out in some kind of ritual manner, Morgan said at his press conference.

    Since his press conference and this brief interview, we’re yet to hear from Sheriff Morgan on an update to the investigation, which garnered national media attention for its peculiar nature.

    In the aftermath of the murders, members of the Smith family spoke to News 5 and rebutted Sheriff Morgan’s comments.

    Morgan had called the family “reclusive,” stating that they had lived in their home on Deerfield Drive for 27 years and that they never spoke to any of their neighbors.

    Members of the Smith family told News 5, “that’s just the way they were.” They called Bonnie a “church-going woman” who just preferred to “keep to herself.”

    The Smith family also believed Sheriff Morgan’s “witchcraft” comments to be ridiculous and completely false.

    Investigators say they have spoke to a person of interest in the case, but they didn’t release a name or photo. All they confirmed was that the person of interest is a “white male” believed to have ties to a faction of witchcraft.

    http://wkrg.com/2015/08/14/funerals-...-in-pensacola/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Arrest in 'ritualistic' triple murder

    By Kevin Robinson
    Pensacola News Journal

    The Escambia County Sheriff's Office has arrested a Pensacola man who allegedly killed his mother and two adult siblings in a "ritualistic" murder.

    Donald Wayne Hartung Sr., 58, was taken into custody Tuesday morning and charged with three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his mother, 77-year-old Voncile Smith, and his two half-brothers, John William Smith, 49, and

    Richard Thomas Smith, 47. State Attorney Bill Eddins announced at a press conference Tuesday that his office will seek the death penalty.

    The three victims were found dead in their Deerfield Drive home in the Pine Forest area on July 31. They had reportedly been beaten with hammers, as well as had their throats slit. Richard Smith, an employee of the Department of Homeland Security, was also shot.

    A few days after the murders, Sheriff David Morgan told the media that the killings may have been motivated by "witchcraft" and the appearance of a blue moon.

    At the press conference Tuesday, the sheriff said that conclusion was based on statements from Hartung and evidence found in his home. Morgan said that theory was still "in play," but that his office had also investigated financial gain and Richard

    Smith's connection to the Department of Homeland Security as possible motives. According to court records, Hartung initiated probate proceedings in late August to settle the debts and distribute the assets of his brothers.

    "From my area of this, we don't really care so much why you did it, just the fact that it did occur," Morgan said of the motive.

    The investigation leading to Hartung's arrest was an arduous, three-month process.

    Eddins called the case the most complicated he had seen, and Morgan said it took five days just to collect all the evidence from the scene. The sheriff praised his staff and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their hard work in processing the massive amount of forensic evidence.

    "We're talking about individuals who are all related to each other ... so it took additional testing to separate out specific DNA," Morgan said of Hartung and the Smiths.

    The family was reportedly very reclusive, and allowed few people into the home, investigators said. Hartung lived in a separate residence a short distance away.

    Morgan confirmed that Hartung was the person of interest that the ECSO identified in the initial days of the investigation. He said his office determined early on Hartung was not a threat to flee or commit additional offenses.

    "We had no indication there was any danger to the community," the sheriff said. "The worse thing you can do is make a preemptive arrest based on half the information."

    Hartung has a minimal prior criminal history and no reported history of conflict with the rest of his family. Morgan said that Hartung was taken into custody without incident at his home, and he is currently being held in Escambia County Jail without bond. He will be represented by local attorney Michael Griffith.

    Assistant State Attorney Bridgette Jensen will prosecute the case for the state.

    http://www.pnj.com/story/news/crime/...rder/74677450/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Brother indicted in 'ritualistic killings'

    By Kevin Robinson
    Pensacola News Journal

    Donald Wayne Hartung was indicted today on three counts of first degree premeditated murder in the death of his mother, Voncile Smith, and two half brothers, John Smith and Richard Smith.

    All three bodies were found on July 31, 2015 in their home on Deerfield Drive.

    Hartung was arrested Oct. 27 — more than three months after the bodies of Voncile Smith and her sons John and Richard Smith were discovered in their home.

    They had reportedly been beaten with hammers, as well as had their throats slit. Richard Smith, an employee of the Department of Homeland Security, was also shot.

    A few days after the murders, an Escambia County Sheriff's deputy told the media that the killings may have been motivated by "witchcraft" and the appearance of a blue moon.

    The investigation leading to Hartung's arrest was an arduous, three-month process.

    Eddins called the case the most complicated he had seen, and Morgan said it took five days just to collect all the evidence from the scene. The sheriff praised his staff and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their hard work in processing the massive amount of forensic evidence.

    "We're talking about individuals who are all related to each other ... so it took additional testing to separate out specific DNA," Morgan said of Hartung and the Smiths.

    The family was reportedly very reclusive, and allowed few people into the home, investigators said. Hartung lived in a separate residence a short distance away.

    Both the investigation and arrest were conducted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Bridgette Jensen is prosecuting the case.

    http://www.pnj.com/story/news/crime/...ings/75533336/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    March 5, 2016

    13 local death penalty cases could be affected by bill

    By Kevin Robinson
    Pensacola News Journal

    On Thursday, the Florida Senate passed a bill intended to address constitutional issues with Florida’s death penalty process.

    That means in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, there are a total of 13 previously stalled capital cases that are likely to proceed.

    The legislative fix will require that prior to seeking the death penalty, state prosecutors will have to specify at least one aggravating factor they intend to prove. The death penalty will only be an option if all jurors agree on the aggravating circumstances.

    “The jury will have to decide by unanimous verdict which facts and factors are present,” State Attorney Bill Eddins said.

    Aggravating factors can include cases where a murder was committed on a child younger than 12; if the crime is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel;, if the crime is committed by a criminal gang member; if the crime endangers multiple people; or if the accused was previously convicted of a felony.

    Prosecutors intend to make the case that the following 13 cases all include one or more of those factors:

    Hartung is charged in the murder of his mother and two half-brothers.

    Voncile Smith, 77, Richard Smith, 49, and John Smith, 47, were all found dead in their Deerfield Drive residence July 31, 2015. Both Voncile Smith and John Smith had been bludgeoned, and Richard Smith was reportedly shot as well as beaten.

    The case garnered national attention after officials from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said the killings may have been ritualistic in nature and possibly connected to the appearance of a blue moon. However, investigators and prosecutors are also pursuing the angle that the killings were motivated by money, as Hartung stood to be a beneficiary in his deceased mother and brothers’ estates.

    Hartung is being represented by attorney Michael Griffith. He is scheduled for trial July 31, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

    http://www.pnj.com/story/news/crime/...-row/81315184/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Man accused of killing family appears in court

    By David Gonzalez
    weartv.com

    ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WEAR) — A Pensacola man accused of murdering three family members in a ritualistic killing appeared in court on Tuesday.

    Donald Hartung is facing three counts of first-degree murder for the killings of his mother and two half-brothers.

    It's been more than two years since the bodies of Voncile, John and Richard Smith were discovered inside their home on Deerfield Drive.

    At the time, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said the triple murder appeared to be motivated by "witchcraft."

    Hartung's defense attorney, Michael Griffith, filed several motions to have certain information suppressed.

    One asked the judge to ban the state from mentioning anything related to Hartung's religion or his mother's will during the trial.

    Both have been considered as possible motives for the murders. Those motions were denied.

    Some of the victims' family members were in the courtroom to watch the proceeding.

    Voncile's niece Wanda Hammac said, "He has no right to live. He has no rights for motions and all of that. I want him to pay with his life just like he took away from me the three people that I love."

    Griffith did all of the talking, but Hartung would occasionally look over at the TV camera.

    "It's a joke to him," Hammac exclaimed. "He's getting the attention he wanted and he needs the attention he gave to my aunt and that's the hammer upside his head."

    In addition, the judge denied a motion to release grand jury testimony from officers.

    State Attorney Bill Eddins said that should never happen.

    Eddins said, "It's very important to protect the sanctity and the secrecy of the grand jury in those cases, but they're only function is to determine whether or not there's probable cause or reason to believe that a crime has occurred."

    The judge did approve the motion to use jury questionnaires during jury selection.

    It is something the state didn't oppose.

    Eddins is confident they'll be able to find a fair and impartial jury.

    Smiths' family considers results of the motion hearing as a victory and plan to be present at every court hearing.

    http://weartv.com/news/local/man-acc...pears-in-court
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Pensacola 'blue moon' triple murder case may finally go to trial after more than 3 years

    By Kevin Robinson
    Pensacola News Journal

    A judge has denied a request to once again delay the trial of a Pensacola man accused of killing his mother and adult siblings.

    Donald Wayne Hartung Sr. is charged with three counts of premeditated first-degree murder in the 2015 deaths of his mother, 77-year-old Voncile Smith, and his two half-brothers, John William Smith, 49, and Richard Thomas Smith, 47.

    Hartung has been in Escambia County Jail for a roughly three-and-a-half years. His jury trial has been delayed multiple times by an array of scheduling, discovery and personnel issues.

    In a hearing Tuesday, Hartung's attorneys asked that the trial be delayed again, this time from June to August. The defense attorneys argued that a current $17.5 million state funding shortfall could potentially limit their ability to travel the region to interview witnesses, and their ability to transport and house witness in Pensacola during the three-week trial.

    Judge Thomas Dannheisser denied the request, but instructed the attorneys to notify him if the funding issue became an actual, not a speculative, problem.

    As things currently stand, Hartung is scheduled to stand trial in early June. The state is seeking the death penalty.

    The Smiths all resided together in a home on Deerfield Drive, and Hartung lived in a separate home a short distance away. They were supposedly a fairly solitary family, but Hartung visited the Smiths in their home regularly.

    After the Smiths went several days without contacting anyone, deputies found their slashed and bludgeoned remains in various locations of the home July 31, 2015. Richard Smith, a Department of Homeland Security employee, had been shot in the head.

    Shortly after the incident, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said the killings may have been "ritualistic" and tied to the appearance of a blue moon.

    Later evidence hinted that the motivation for the murders may have been more pedestrian.

    Hartung had allegedly told co-workers he stood to inherit his mother's belongings if she died, and he reportedly began working to take possession of his family members' estates shortly after their deaths.

    Assistant State Attorney Bridgette Jensen will prosecute the case. Michael Griffith will represent Hartung during the jury trial.

    If Hartung is convicted, Sharon Wilson will represent him in the penalty phase, where jurors will decide if he should receive a sentence of life in prison or death.

    https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2019/...on/3341747002/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Trial date set for Pensacola man accused of murdering three family members back in 2015

    By Leslie Acosta
    WEAR News

    PENSACOLA, Fla. (WEAR) — A trial is now set for the Pensacola man accused of murdering three family members.

    Donald Hartung will face a jury starting January 13, over four years after his arrest in October 2015.

    “You also have to remember this involved a case where the defendant is charged with three counts of first-degree murder for three deaths. So, that’s a fairly unusual situation. We do not have many cases where multiple deaths where three people were murdered in the same crime is involved,” says Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille.

    Hartung faces three counts of first-degree murder for the killings of his mother and two half-brothers.

    The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office initially believed the triple murder was motivated by “witchcraft”.

    The State Attorney’s office says the crime appears to have been “financially motivated”.

    The state is seeking the death penalty.

    https://weartv.com/news/local/trial-...s-back-in-2015
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Jury selection begins for 'blue moon' triple murder case after more than four years

    By Colin Warren-Hicks
    Pensacola News Journal

    After nearly four and a half years, the murder trial of a Pensacola man accused of killing his mother and two stepbrothers began Monday with its first day of jury selection.

    Donald Wayne Hartung Sr. stands accused of the 2015 deaths of his mother, 77-year-old Voncile Smith, and his two half-brothers, Richard Thomas Smith, 47, and John William Smith, 49.

    Hartung, 63, faces three counts of premeditated first-degree murder, and the state is seeking the death penalty.

    The long-postponed trial is scheduled to last three weeks.

    Even jury selection is expected to take upwards of “several days,” according to Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille.

    “Any time a case is a death penalty case, it takes much longer than your average cases to go to trial," he said."

    A start date was further delayed by funding issues at the Justice Administrative Commission, the agency within state government that funds court-appointed attorneys.

    “Hartung was declared partially indigent for some costs, so that did delay obtaining some of the information and the ability to either obtain expert witnesses or do all the discovery that is necessary,” Marcille explained. “Additionally, there was a second attorney appointed to assist in the area of mitigation for purposes of a possible sentencing hearing.”

    That second attorney, Sharon Wilson, was granted time to prepare a possible presentation of mitigating factors for penalty phases, in the event a jury finds Hartung guilty.

    On July 31, 2015, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office performed a welfare check at the Deerfield Drive home where Hartung’s stepbrothers and mother lived together. The welfare check was requested after Richard Smith, an employee of the Department of Homeland Security, stopped showing up to work.

    Deputies found the bodies of all three people living in the home covered by large piles of clothes in separate rooms, according to Hartung's arrest report.

    Richard Smith had been shot in the head and stabbed in the throat. John Smith was found sitting in a chair in front of a television with a stab wound to his throat and wounds on the top of his head, indicating an attack from behind resulting in blunt force trauma, the report stated. Blood trails led investigators to believe Voncile Smith’s body had been dragged between rooms.

    At the time of the investigation, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said the slayings may have been "ritualistic" and linked to the recent rising of a blue moon.

    However, as the investigation progressed, financial gain supplanted other theories as the likely motivation behind the murders.

    One of Hartung’s co-workers recalled that Hartung had once commented that if his mother ever died, as the eldest son, he would inherit the sum of her wealth. But when investigators later interviewed his mother’s attorney, they learned Hartung had been excluded from his mom’s will.

    “There are no living survivors of the Smith family other than Hartung, making him the potential sole heir to the victim’s estates in this case.”

    The case is being tried before Circuit Court Judge Thomas Dannheisser. Assistant State Attorney Bridgette Jensen and Assistant State Attorney Alvin "Trey" Myers are prosecuting, and Michael Griffith and Sharon Wilson represent Hartung.

    https://www.pnj.com/story/news/crime...rs/4457909002/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Son of Donald Hartung testifies in day 4 of trial

    By Daniel Smithson
    WKRG News

    PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — 3 p.m. Court has adjourned and will start up again on Monday at 9 a.m.

    1:53 p.m. — The state has called Donald Hartung Jr., the son of Donald Hartung. Hartung Jr. says he found out about his grandmother and two uncles dying from Hartung Sr.

    “He said, ‘Son, they’re all dead,” Hartung Jr. said. “Your grandmother, RT and John, they’re all gone.'”

    Hartung Jr. stated that Hartung Sr. was the “black sheep” of the family.

    1:42 p.m. — The state has called Florida Department of Law Enforcement firearms analyst William Black. Black analyzed the bullet jacket found at the Smith home. He said the bullet found in the Smith home was from a 9-millimeter Ruger.

    1:33 p.m. — The state has called Mark Bailey, a former co-worker of Hartung at Sacred Heart Hospital. Bailey testified Hartung has a strained relationship with his brothers. Bailey says Hartung told him the stained relationship stemmed from financial issues.

    1:15 p.m. — The state has called S.A. Roddenbury, an attorney that prepared Bonnie Smith’s will. Roddenbury testified Smith intentionally left Hartung out of her will because she said he had sufficient assets.

    11:25 a.m. — The state has called Wayne Wright, who works as a liaison between the state’s attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office. Wright says he located a high Wiccan priest near Nine Mile Road, the priest referenced by Purifoy during his testimony.

    However, the priest did said he or she did not know Hartung. Wright brought the hammer believed to be the murder weapon to the courthouse, so stay tuned for testimony related to it.

    11:10 a.m. — The state has called witness Jessica Bohon. She was involved in probate after the the Smith family’s death. She found a safe at the bottom of Bonnie Smith’s closet.

    10:23 a.m. — Purifoy is being questioned by Hartung’s defense attorney Sharon Wilson. Wilson continues to point out inconsistencies in Purifoy’s testimony Friday and his deposition from 2016.

    9:35 a.m. — Purifoy says Hartung told him in jail that he hated his mother because she left him out of the will. He also said Hartung told him John Smith molested his son when he was three years old. He said he hated his brother because of that, according to Purifoy.

    Purifoy says Hartung confessed to him in jail, stating he killed his family because he wanted Bonnie Smith’s money. Purifoy added that Hartung had been planning the murders for three years but his Ouija board pushed him to do it.

    Purifoy says Hartung hit John in the head with a hammer while he was watching TV and then slit his throat. Hartung told him he tortured his mother and cut her pinky finger to get her to tell him the code to a safe, Purifoy says. Purifoy said Hartung then hit her in the head and slit her throat.

    Purifoy says Hartung then waited for Richard to get home and shot him. He said the shot didn’t kill Richard, and he put up a fight. He said Hartung then slit Richard’s throat.

    Purifoy says Hartung then stole money from a safe located in Bonnie’s closet.

    According to Purifoy, Hartung changed his clothes at the home and gave them to a priest.

    Purifoy says Hartung told him he was going to use several defenses to keep prosecutors’ eyes off him.

    9:18 a.m. — Marlin Purifoy says Hartung gave him a list of Wicca books to check out.

    9:15 a.m. The state has called Marlin Purifoy, a convicted attempted murderer. He is serving 30 years in jail. He was podmates with Hartung at the Escambia County jail. Prosecutors have offered the possibility for a reduced sentence for his cooperation with the Hartung investigation and his testimony.

    Purifoy says people in jail were after of Hartung because they thought he was a witch.

    9 a.m. — The Donald Hartung murder trial is expected to resume at 9 a.m.

    Hartung is accused of killing his mother and two half-brothers on July 28, 2015. Prosecutors say he beat his mother, Bonnie Smith, and brother, John Smith in the head with a hammer and then slit their throats.

    He is accused of shooting his brother Richard Thomas Smith in the head.

    The state still has at least 10 more witnesses left to testify. The triple murder jury trial is expected to last about three weeks.

    https://www.wkrg.com/northwest-flori...mony-expected/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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