On a Sunday afternoon in Cheney, Washington, on September 10, 2017, Cameron Smith, a 46-year-old Black / African American man, was taking his lunch break in his car in the parking lot of Lucid Marijuana, the shop where he worked. A valued employee and a longtime friend of the shop's owner, Smith was known for his kind and positive nature. This ordinary day took a tragic turn when a man and two women who had been refused service for not having identification approached his vehicle.
The
man, later identified as 36-year-old Donovan Culps, along with his 18-year-old niece, Violetta Culps, and another 18-year-old woman, Alisha Jackson, had been denied a purchase inside the store. Following the refusal, Donovan Culps confronted Smith in his car. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and seeing Smith's car speeding away from the parking lot, driven by Culps. What began as an argument over identification escalated into a violent kidnapping and carjacking.
The search for Cameron Smith ended tragically five days later when his body was discovered by search and rescue teams in a heavily wooded area off a state route near Four Lakes. An investigation revealed that Smith had been shot multiple times. His car was later found abandoned in Airway Heights, and his wallet was discovered on the Spokane Indian Reservation. The senselessness of the act sent ripples of grief through the community and among his friends and co-workers, who remembered him as a genuinely solid individual.
The ensuing investigation led to the capture of Donovan Culps on September 14, 2017, in Goldendale, Washington, after a police chase. Alisha Jackson was also arrested and faced a charge of failing to report a felony. While in custody, Donovan Culps confessed to the murder, admitting in a jailhouse interview that he shot Smith after being denied service, stating he was having a bad day and Smith "got the ugly side of it". Culps later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison. In addition to the murder of Cameron Smith, Culps also admitted to another killing.
