On a grim Friday, the 13th of November in 2020, the life of Ivan Scott Lambert, a 53-year-old White/Caucasian male from Glenwood, West Virginia, was tragically cut short by an act of gun violence. The fatal incident unfolded inside a residence on Whitten Ridge Road near Hannan in Mason County. When deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered a harrowing sight: three men suffering from gunshot wounds. Ivan Lambert was pronounced dead at the scene, his life extinguished in a sudden burst of violence.
The two other victims, identified as Ricky Pickens and James Smith Jr., were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention. Tragically, Ricky Pickens later succumbed to his injuries, escalating the case to a double homicide.
The serene community was left shaken by the brutal events that had transpired, prompting an intensive investigation to bring those responsible to justice.
The subsequent investigation led to the indictment of three individuals in connection with the killings. Brandon A. Smith, a 30-year-old from Milton, West Virginia, was identified as the primary suspect. He faced two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Ivan Lambert and Ricky Pickens, as well as one count of attempted murder for the injuries sustained by James Smith Jr. The indictment painted a grim picture of the violence that had shattered the peace of the rural home.
Two other men, Corey A. Turner and Dustin L. Lyons, were also indicted as alleged accomplices in the brutal crime. They were each charged with two counts of accessory to murder, suggesting their involvement in the events surrounding the double homicide. The Mason County Prosecutor's office expressed a firm commitment to ensuring that the individuals responsible would be held accountable for their actions, hoping to bring a measure of closure to the grieving families of the victims.
