Sentenced to Life for Smith Murder

Malkhaz Kobauri, the 19-year-old shepherd who was found guilty by a jury for murdering American couple Ryan and Lora Smith and their 4-year-old son Caleb, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Gori Regional Court.

The verdict was announced by Goga Kupreishvili, the judge of the Gori District Court, on March 27. Kobauri denies his guilt.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia (POG) reports that evidence found during the trial confirmed that on 4 July, 2018, at around noon, Malkhaz Kobauri killed Ryan Smith with two gunshots, after which he put the gun to his son's head and shot him. After committing this crime, he had sexual intercourse with Lora Smith by use of violence, after which he drowned her in water.

“Law enforcement officers arrested Kobauri within several days on the basis of appropriated evidence…The prosecution examined evidence of the crime during the trial. Dozens of witnesses were interrogated. Documental and material evidence was examined, including the murder weapon - a hunting gun on which the DNA of the victim and the defendant were found,” the POG says.

Zaza Datukashvili, the prosecutor of the case, says Kobauri was found guilty on all charges raised against him by the jury on March 26 and the verdict of the jury was unanimous.

“Since the day Kobauri was charged, the prosecution has stated that there is proof that confirms the crime was committed by him,” the Prosecutor said.

He added that Kobauri was charged under Criminal Code Articles 109 §1 (c), §2 (b), §3 (a, b) and Article 137 §1 which envisage premeditated murder in order to ease and cover up another crime, the murder of three persons with particular cruelty, the murder of a minor knowingly, and rape.

The lawyer of the accused, Aleksandre Kobaidze, stated he would appeal the decision and claimed the jury’s decision had come as a surprise.

“Unfortunately, our society is not mature enough to have more active, dynamic, and critical jury trials. The jury shared opinions based only on assumptions," Kobaidze said.

Mariam Martiashvili, the shepherd’s mother, says that her son is innocent and “he was used by the POG to please the US.”

“I will not be able to find justice here. God knows my son is not guilty and only God knows what happened there,” she said after the trial.

The mother and aunt of the accused became unwell after the judge announced the verdict and were taken to the hospital directly from the trial.

“My son would not have been able to commit such crimes. The evidence of the POG was a lie. This was a well-staged murder. And the jury was under pressure from the Prosecutor’s Office,” Kobauri’s mother stressed.

The American husband and wife were citizens of the US but had Georgian citizenship, received in 2012. They had lived in the town of Marneuli for seven years and were well respected members of the local and expat community.

The search of the family was launched on July 6, 2018, after they could not be contacted.

Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) made a statement that a 19-year-old man had been arrested on murder charges, saying on July 4, after a confrontation, he shot Ryan Smith and his son and while the wife was trying to escape, she fell into a nearby ravine and died. However, later, after complex forensic examination, it was stated that woman had been raped and drowned.

By Thea Morrison

Info source: Reginfo.ge