In the fall of 1986, a violent and tragic event unfolded in a DeKalb County, Georgia, condominium that claimed the lives of three people and left another for dead. Charles Wayne Smith, a 54-year-old Caucasian male, was at his home with his two sons, Steven and Richard, and his companion, Margaret Sweat. The sense of a normal day was shattered when Larry Grant Lonchar and an accomplice, Mitchell Wells, arrived at the residence.
Lonchar, who was indebted to a bookmaking business operated
by Charles and Steven Smith, was not there for a friendly visit. Posing as a special agent, he and Wells gained entry and quickly subdued the occupants, handcuffing both Charles and his son Steven. The situation escalated rapidly as the feigned law enforcement stop turned into a cold-blooded execution. Gunshots rang out, and when the chaos subsided, Charles Wayne Smith, his son Steven, and Margaret Sweat all lay dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Richard Smith, who had been in a separate bedroom, was also shot multiple times by Wells but managed to survive by feigning death.
The aftermath of the brutal slayings led to an intensive investigation that ultimately pointed to Larry Grant Lonchar as the primary perpetrator. He was arrested and stood trial for the horrific crimes. The evidence presented painted a grim picture of a planned and ruthless attack. The jury found Lonchar guilty on three counts of murder for the deaths of Charles Wayne Smith, Steven Smith, and Margaret Sweat, as well as one count of aggravated assault for the near-fatal attack on Richard Smith. For his role in the triple homicide, Larry Grant Lonchar was sentenced to death for each of the murder counts, bringing a measure of justice to the tragic and violent end of three innocent lives.
