Scott Johnston and Sean Farmer at the campground where they were shot by killer Randall Lee Smith. There is a full article about the tragedy here on Outside Online. As Johnston yelled "Go, Sean!" Scott Johnston: We went down that dirt road doing like 40 miles an hour - 50 miles an hour - on the road that you can normally do like 20. Joel Polson, 26 year old from South Carolina, was killed at a shelter in Georgia by Michigan fugitive Ralph Fox, who continued to walk south and then caught a bus to Atlanta, where he was arrested. At trial, Carr claimed he had been enraged by the sight of the two women having sex. Following his release from prison, Randall . Monsters Among Us: Randall Lee Smith *Appalachian Trial Murders* Bowles said her sadness about Smith's death is tempered by gratitude that his tortured life is done. The fast food chain is partnering with Conagra to bring Wendy's "beloved chili into homes across the country" in canned-form for $4.49 when it, Q: My husband and I want to give or sell our house to our newly married daughter, who is our only child. That evening, as Sean was setting up his tent near a place called dismal creek, that same fisherman stopped by. And--. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Chris Hansen: And what did he tell you about this agreement? Be careful when hitchhiking. Molly LaRue and Geoff Hood, a couple who had met in Kansas, were found murdered in a shelter outsideDuncannon, Pennsylvania. When some killers kill, we sit back and wonder how this happened. Randy is survived by his parents John and Norma Smith, his sister Debra (Brian) Doggett, his brother Timothy (Sandy) Smith, nieces Shelley White, Amy and Kasey Smith . Scott Johnston: Actually awesome. Bowles believes Smith probably camped for a time somewhere in the mountains above his home. Sean Farmer: I was - I guess - so drained. The 1981 Appalachian Trail Hike That Ended In Murder - Grunge But one hiker they met on the trail here last may turned on them without warning. She said residents told them about Randall Lee Smith, about the murders he committed in 1981 and about the most recent allegations. As a rule of thumb, youre more likely to encounter troublesome people within a mile or two of crossroads, rather than in the deep, dark forest. But as he crossed a narrow bridge, Farmer began to drift in and out of consciousness behind the steering wheel. Two hikers met a stranger on the Appalachian Trail and discovered too late he was armed and dangerous. But we were, just, tougher than he was. And for him, it was spine tingling, dj vu moment: He realized the attack on Scott and Sean was eerily similar to a bloody, double murder he had investigated years earlier. Scott Johnston: By the time I was loaded in the helicopter, I was starting to, like, spit up blood. I mean, we're both shot. Sean Farmer: And then it was dark by that time and then, he walked over to get his dog, right in front of Scott's tent. And it was so close too. And there was a dog in the road. "We will continue to work with our state and local partners to bring the perpetrator of this senseless and brutal attack to justice," Cullen added. Randall Lee Smith (June 29, 1953 May 10, 2008)[1] was a convicted murderer from Pearisburg, Virginia. Later Glatman began committing robberies, burglaries, and eventually escalated to sexually assaulting the women of the homes he targeted. He served 14 years total before being released from prison. And Scott and Sean -- who somehow survived Smith's brutal attack -- will never get any answers . And I say, "Call 911. Sean Farmer and Scott Johnston say Randall Lee Smith befriended Mike Reed found a killer campsite in the Giles County national forest. the Murderpedia project stay alive. Police began combing the woods surrounding the shelter, and one searcher noticed something peeking through the leaves: a sLeeping bag. Chris Hansen: Did you get a name on this guy? And-- and we just skid sideways in the road around that curve. Farmer held up his hand through the rolled-down window to block the bullet, but Smith didn't fire. Until I actually went to the door and seen him holding his neck, and blood was running down. He pleaded guilty shortly before trial commenced to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of hikers Robert Mountford Jr. and Laura Susan Ramsay, both 27-year-old social workers from Maine who were murdered by Smith while hiking the . Farmer and Johnston plan to watch. ", Before you purchase another gift card at a major retailer such as Walmart, you need to hear Carolyn Horns account of getting scammed. So, when I started the car, I ducked down in the passenger seat, and just drove away. Chris Hansen: And what was it like when you took that first breath on your own? Luckily, the pair survived. So, they sedate me. The third result is Randall Lee Smith age 60s in Moorhead, MN. Naves in Doing Crime Iowa. Later, the police determined that Ricky was none other than Randall Lee Smith, who had already returned to his murderous ways after being paroled from prison. And- and I felt the bullet hole. And I'm telling him, I'm like, "Slow down. Chris Hansen: How much pressure was on you to solve this case and get that Appalachian Trail back open? And Scott and Sean -- who somehow survived Smith's brutal attack -- will never get any answers, either. He died in jail . He's been shot in the back and the neck, and he remembers thinking he could bleed to death right there. And - and we - we come down off the embankment and we stop. Scott Johnston: --well, man. Sean Farmer: At that point, nothing happened. He began serving the prison term in 1981, and after spending fifteen behind bars, Randall was paroled in 1996. Hoping just to-- if he was gonna shoot me, shoot me through the hand, just, you know, block it a little bit. You weren't gonna gain any girlfriends. The slayings became the subject of the 1984 book "Murder on the Appalachian Trail" by author Jess Carr. Randall "Randy" Lee Smith, 60, of Marion, North Carolina, passed away Tuesday, September 07, 2021, at Carolinas HealthCare System - Blue Ridge. Both survived. Scott Johnston: The - the whole time we were sitting on the porch, my - my main concern was for Sean because I knew he was shot in the face. A bullet remains in Johnston's back, and his neck is marred by a bullet wound and a surgical scar. For seven and a half years for two people's lives, he died where he should a died. Randall Lee Smith (June 29, 1953 - May 10, 2008) was a convicted murderer from Pearisburg, Virginia. Tom Lawson - who is still pained by those 1981 murders - will never get his chance to ask Smith why he killed those two hikers. Chris Hansen: You've both been shot twice. On Friday afternoon, Randall Smith was released into police custody after treatment at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where Lt. Ron Hamlin of the Giles County Sheriff's Department said Smith had spent some time on a ventilator. As he was being rolled into surgery the night he was shot, Scott Johnston was shown a picture of Smith. Chris Hansen: How did you learn that he had been in prison for killing two other people? "The next thing I knew boom, boom, boom! Chris Hansen: Dark out. Randall Smith was injured and apprehended when he wrecked a pickup he allegedly stole from one of the fishermen. When Sean Farmer and Scott Johnston decided to spend a day fishing and camping out in Dismal Creek, Virginia, in 2008, they had no idea of the terror awaiting them there. "I didn't even know I had been shot," he said. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Randall Lee Smith - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages Smith as he appeared in his 1973 driver's license photo. Karen and Georgia cover the survival story of Scott Johnston and Sean Farmer and the Glamour Girl Slayer. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. "What the hell just happened?" Sean Farmer: I'm just lucky. Melissa Miller answered the door, and couldn't believe what she saw. It shouldnt stop you from hiking the trail yourself. And I just says - I said, "Stop here." Authorities allege Smith used a .22-caliber pistol Tuesday night to shoot Sean Farmer, 33, of Tazewell and Scott Johnston, 37, of Bluefield. Tom Lawson: Was I the reason why two other people now are assaulted by this person that I should have put away 27 years ago. No one could believe anyone in our community would be so capable of so-- so much damage and so much horror. The murders triggered a wave of horror and outrage, and national headlines. He would contact them with offers of work for pulp fiction magazines, take them back to his apartment, tie them up and sexually assault them, taking pictures all the while. and I see his arm stuck out towards Sean. "He talked about his dog. Sean Farmer: But it just-- we just worked together to get down. The male victim was found dead at the scene, and the female victim was taken to the Bristol Regional Medical Center in Tennessee, where she gave a statement to investigators and named Jordan as the man who attacked them, according to the complaint. Pow." They seemed so normal. But it turns out, violentcrime on hiking trails is more frequent than I initially thought. "Randall Lee Smith (June 29,1953- May 10, 2008) was a convicted murderer from Pearisburg, Virginia. And at least 40 miles from probably a hospital. Smith introduced himself as Ricky Williams of Newport. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Paul David Crews, a troublesome loner, who continued hiking the trail was tracked down eight days later and arrested. Since 1974, there has been 11 Appalachian trail murders, two of which wereattempted.