In the quiet town of Greenfield, Indiana, a grim discovery was made on the night of February 16, 2023. Inside a home on East U.S. 40, 69-year-old Freddie E. Patterson was found dead, seated in a chair in his living room. He had been brutally beaten to death with a hammer.
The chain of events that led to this discovery began when officers from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and the Greenfield Police Department responded to a 911 call from the residence around 10:19 p.m.
Upon arrival, they were met by a woman who directed them to an unresponsive male with severe facial trauma. The man was later identified as Patterson, and it was clear he was not breathing.
The woman who made the call was Patterson's half-sister. She lived in the home with her son, Daniel James Smith, and Patterson. She told investigators that she had gone to bed around 9 p.m. but was awakened by a loud banging sound. When she went to investigate, her son walked past her into the bathroom. It was then that she saw Patterson in the chair and realized his face was 'smashed in.'
When Smith eventually came outside to surrender to the authorities with his hands up, he was soaking wet. He was taken into custody at the scene on a preliminary charge of murder. The investigation that followed revealed a troubled relationship between Smith and Patterson.
During an interview with officials, the then 39-year-old Smith made a series of disjointed statements, referencing events from 1980 and speaking about a cult, trafficking, and the 'Chinese Mafia.' He claimed he had been 'programmed to hit him on the head with a hammer.' Smith also told investigators that he believed the person in the chair was molesting a minor and that he was angry and disgusted. He admitted to drinking a six-pack of beer and having a couple of shots of moonshine earlier in the evening.
Daniel James Smith was formally charged with the murder of Freddie E. Patterson. At his initial court appearance, a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, and he was held in the county jail without bond. The prosecution and defense later agreed to a bench trial, where a judge would decide the outcome rather than a jury, as both sides reportedly agreed on most of the evidence in the case. The central issue for the trial was expected to be Smith's mental state at the time of the killing.
