In the autumn of 2022, the life of a young mother from Muskegon, Michigan, was tragically cut short. Ashley 'Charlie' Ridge, a 30-year-old female, was shot and killed in the driveway of her Ray Street home on October 6, 2022. The incident, which stemmed from a family dispute, sent ripples of shock and grief through her community. At the time of her death, Ashley was a wife and a mother to four children.
The investigation into her death quickly led to a suspect: her 62-year-old estranged
former father-in-law, Phillip Ray Smith. Witnesses reported seeing Smith and Ashley arguing outside her home just before the fatal shot was fired to her head. An eyewitness had even attempted to intervene in the escalating dispute. In the wake of the shooting, it was revealed that a personal protection order had previously been sought against Smith by his ex-wife, who lived with Ashley and her husband, but the request was denied by a judge due to a lack of evidence.
Following the incident, Smith fled the scene. He later visited a friend in Hesperia, appearing emotionally distraught and intoxicated, and allegedly confessed to his role in the shooting. Investigators later discovered a revolver and several spent bullet casings among his belongings. Despite initially denying his involvement to the police, the weight of the evidence led to his arrest.
Phillip Ray Smith was charged with open murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and carrying a concealed weapon. In April 2024, he accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to homicide and felony firearm charges in exchange for the prosecution dropping the assault and weapons charges. Subsequently, Smith was sentenced to serve 16 to 170 years in prison for the murder of Ashley Ridge, bringing a measure of judicial closure to a case that left a family shattered and a community in mourning.
