In the summer of 1978, the town of Franklin, Virginia, was shaken by the cold-blooded murder of a respected local businessman. On a July morning, William Jackson Smith Jr., a 54-year-old man, was shot and killed inside his own business, Smith Jewelers. The community knew him as a loving father and a dedicated member of his church choir, who had spent 24 years building his jewelry store from the ground up.
The man responsible for his death was Willie Lloyd Turner. Turner entered the jewelry store and, in the course of a robbery, shot Smith in the head. A witness testified to the chilling scene, stating that Turner simply 'just looked at Mr. Smith and fired the gun at Mr. Smith.' To ensure his death, Turner fired two more shots into Smith's body as he lay on the floor. Another witness recounted hearing Smith 'yell like a puppy' as he fell.
At the time of the murder, Turner was on probation for a previous murder conviction from four and a half years earlier. His violent and bizarre behavior prior to the shooting had reportedly been brought to the attention of police, but no action was taken. The handling of the robbery and the subsequent investigation also faced criticism, particularly after Turner managed to escape from the local jail for a day, causing widespread fear.
It took a year and a half for authorities to bring Turner to trial. Ultimately, he was convicted of the murder of William Jackson Smith Jr. and sentenced to death. For years, the case wound its way through the appeals process, a source of ongoing anguish for Smith's family and friends who felt the justice system was failing them. Seventeen years after the murder, Willie Lloyd Turner was executed for his crime. Smith's son, Billy Smith, was present to witness the execution, bringing a final, somber end to a long and painful chapter for the family and the community.
