Even Rao had to ask the court for a brief recess during her testimony. On Valentine's Day, it took jurors only 14 minutes to find 61-year-old Donald Smith guilty of kidnapping, raping and murdering 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle in 2013. The swift guilty. As officers approached his vehicle and surrounded him, they noticed Smith, dirty and soaked in water, was wearing the same clothes he had on in the Walmart surveillance footage. And now, this sex offender had Cherish. I need just 5 minutes @FCN2go #donaldSmith. Rao said she went to the crime scene, Because the nature of the case, it was a child that was abducted. @ActionNewsJax, No cross from the defense for undercover officer, the defense has not crossed a majority of the witnesses in trial. DAY 1:JSO officers responding to Cherish'smurder: 'Protect her, preserve the evidence'. Rayne is heard saying in the call. Any hope of finding Cherish alive was over. She said that she did not want to appear too overprotective. . Police were clear about one thingthough. At around 9 a.m. the following morning, officers spottedSmiths van off of I-95 near downtown Jacksonville. Donald saw an opportunity that day when he saw Rayne with her three girls. Dr. Valerie Rao performed the autopsy of 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle back in 2013, and today, she walked jurors through photos and details of her findings regarding the child's death. In court videos seen by news.com.au, Rao was testifying for the Medical Examiner's office and provided disturbing details over the little girl's death. Smiths DNA also matched samples from a rectal swab of Cherish. Post-mortem reports found severe injuries and contusions all over her body, and concluded that the eight-year-old had been strangled with a piece of clothing after being tortured and raped. / CBS/AP. The effect of smothering or force to keep her quiet would cause these injuries. the injuries were bleeding nostrils and injuries on her upper lip. Here we have two people who are in a struggle. Donald James Smith faces charges offirst-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual battery. The man, later identified as Smith, first offered to buy the mom a dress. Cherish went with him. Cox Media Group. Smith, the man accused of the 2013 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle, decided to turn his back to the screen when autopsy pictures were shown Tuesday. News.com.au has viewed Rao's horrifying testimony. Everything you love about wokv.com and more! Closing arguments will take place tomorrow, and then jury deliberations will begin #DonaldSmith #CherishPerrywinkle pic.twitter.com/Z8NfJTaNus. @ActionNewsJax, Dollar Store purchases were also found in a trash can, Carter collected as evidence. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The same potential juror indicated she wassqueamish about looking at gory photos, while another possible teared up and said she would lose it during a trial involving crimes against a child. However, they never returned. It is up to the rest of us to take an even harder look at who is minding our children. Donald had gagged her so severely that her gumshad bled, he raped and sodomised her. The force used during the strangulation was so strong that Cherish suffered skin abrasions as well. The June 2013 murder of Cherish Perrywinkle drew huge amounts of news coverage and public attention in Jacksonville, with a jury in 2018 finding Donald James Smith guilty and a judge sending him to Death Row. Jurors Cry Over Autopsy Photos On Day 2 in the trial of Donald Smith, many female jurors cried when graphic autopsy photographs of Cherish Perrywinkle were shown in court Tuesday. The defense called for a mistrial over the interruption in testimony, but the judge denied the motion,Matter tweeted. He then offered to buy the mother a $100 gift card andsomehow convinced her to ride with him to pick up the card at a nearby Walmart. Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app. Defense attorney holds up picture of Cherish Perrywinkle, reminds that this trial will be "emotional, gut-wrenching" @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/0rXEVvyDG6, Chris Parenteau (@WJXTChris) February 9, 2018. The defense moved for a mistrial based on Raos request, but that was denied by the judge. Last year, video was released by the State's Attorney Office in Florida, US, showing horrifying CCTV footage where Cherish is approached, along with her mother and sisters, by Smith at a Walmart in Jacksonville, northeastern Florida. They obtained surveillance footage from Walmart and watched Smith exiting the store with Cherish following closely behind. What she sustained was tremendous force on her neck, such that she basically, she could not breathe. @ActionNewsJax, June 23, 2015 is when the recording equipment was placed in the Duval County jail. "Looking at her genital area and her anal area, she had so much trauma, the anatomy was totally. Rao says she actually went out to the scene where Cherish was recovered. Please check your connection and try again using the Retry button. On Day 2 in the trial of Donald Smith, many female jurors cried when graphic autopsy photographs of Cherish Perrywinkle were shown in court Tuesday. To follow live onTwitter, please follow Bridgette Matter at @BridgetteANjax, LATEST: Graphic testimony details moments before Cherish Perrywinkle's death. Rao is visibly shaken as she describes the bruising, scratching and other physical injuries to the body, taking large gulps and appearing watery-eyed as she details the shocking sexual abuse carried out by Cherish's attacker. @ActionNewsJax, We cannot show the public the jury, there is a white cloth blocking the cameras view, which explains the white you will at times see on our live stream. She spent around 20 minutessearching Walmart, McDonalds and the car park. There was nosign of Cherish and the items Rayne had left in the van such as the stroller and items shebought at the Dollar General Store weremissing. ", by Chilling Crimes "She died after she sustained tremendous force on her neck such that she could not breathe," Rao told the court. @ActionNewsJax, Carter says he collected purple flip flops as evidence. Check back with CrimeOnline as we provide upcoming trial coverage. @ActionNewsJax https://t.co/MwTPX7bR9X, Undercover officer placed microphones in vents at Duval County jail to capture communications between #DonaldSmith and another inmate. Jacksonville, FL Editor's note:The details of this testimony can be considered graphic and difficult for some readers. Cherish Perrywinkle was abducted from a Florida Walmart before being sexually assaulted and strangled until her eyes bled by a man who convinced her he was just a Good Samaritan. There was nosign of Cherish and the items Rayne had left in the van such as the stroller and items shebought at the Dollar General Store weremissing. The mother said she hoped very much that his intentions were genuine and that he just wanted to help. January 25, 2022, "The effects of abuse are devastating and far reaching. A Florida man who was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle has been sentenced to death for first degree murder and sexual battery convictions. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. LIST: Six things we learned after two days of the Cherish Perrywinkle trial. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. In opening statements, State AttorneyMelissa Nelson told jurors that Smith made comments about a group of girls in the jail. After utilizingK-9 units, little Cherishs lifeless body was found in a nearby swampy ditch. A medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle became emotional in court Tuesday as she discussed the last moments of the young girl's life. On Monday, State Attorney Melissa Nelson described the horrible manner in which 8-year-old. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Top Dems push Fox News to stop promoting "propaganda" about 2020 election, Where things stand in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial, Watch Live: Closing arguments to begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh. Cherish's mother later told police she was struggling to buy clothes for her daughters when Smith overheard and offered to buy them for her. A full profile could not be performed from the vaginal swab, however Smith was not excluded by the results, and Lee testified that- in all- there was still an almost non-existent chance it was anyone other than Smith. gs,washing her hair and shewanted to buy her some new clothes. After a lapse in time while discussing strategies to find the little girl, officers begancanvassing the area in search of the little girl. They later identified Smith as a convicted sex offender who had only been out of jail for around three weeks before he reportedly preyed upon the Perrywinkle family. @ActionNewsJax, "All her injuries she sustained were prior to her death." @ActionNewsJax, The next series of photographs are injuries. . @ActionNewsJax, Dr. Rao had to also photograph Donald Smith @ActionNewsJax, While photos of Cherish's private parts were shown, Dr. Rao explained there was only a thin layer of tissue between the two areas. Smith, now 64, was accused of murdering Cherish Perrywinkle after a series of events that began when he met her mother, Rayne Perrywinkle, at a Dollar General store. "I'm sorry, I need to take a break. They all replied: Yeshttps://t.co/KORxv8xtHp pic.twitter.com/N7dzz8AmL1. He gagged her with such force, her gums and nostrils bled. Suffered swelling in her brain. Each attempt to look at where the virus started is swamped by misinformation. @ActionNewsJax, Dr. Rao looking through autopsy photographs. Dati relativi al dispositivo e alla connessione a Internet, come l'indirizzo IP, Attivit di navigazione e di ricerca durante l'utilizzo dei siti web e delle app di Yahoo. The surveillance video shows Smith walking alongside the little girl. Don later joined them inside the store. Rayne had $100 but that was to cover clothes, household items and the cost of travelling to the airport the following morning. The medical examiner said that Cherish Perrywinkle died from being strangled, probably with a piece of clothing. The mother said Smith noticed her struggling to pay for their items and that he lured them to a nearby Walmart under the false guise of being generous. Before Cherish was brought to the medical examiner's office a rape kit was conducted. Cherish went with him. Rao says she also examined Smith at the Police Memorial Building, and he had injuries to his penis which related to trauma and were consistent with the timing of Cherishs death. She is heard telling a dispatcher, "I feel like a fool," and saying she couldn't remember what Smith was wearing or what his license plate was, Bourne tweeted. The state called an undercover officer to the stand. That something, . JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The News4JAX I-TEAM has obtained all of the evidence against Donald Smith, who was convicted of raping and killing 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday. Around three hundred potential jurors filed into the Jacksonville courtroom this week, where they were shown an up-close photo of a little girl with big brown eyes. Smith manipulated the girl's mother into making her think he only wanted to buy clothing for Cherish Perrywinkle and her siblings. All Rights Reserved. When she found out her daughter was dead, she collapsed. Don didn't have a wife. She had injuries all over her body. The shopping trip was very focused around the girls and Rayne stayed with them in the children's section. In it, she said she felt like a fool. Don told Rayne he would getcheeseburgers in McDonalds. Sources from the courtroom claim the man accused to the childs horrific murder turned his back when autopsy pictures were shown. The cashier later confirmed he saw themtalking in the car park for around 15-20 minutes. There are predators everywhere. So in reality she didn't have a lot of money to buy Cherish new clothes for her trip. The injuries that poor kid suffered was absolutely horrific and as you said, don't go googling details of . "Doctors are people too," said the State of Dr. Rao. Rao said the burst blood vessels in Cherish's eyes were very large. Theyare in our work places, our friendship groups and sometimes even our homes. In fact, hers was a brutal and tortured death.". Chief Medical Examiner just asked for a break, appeared to be holding back emotion. Cherish Perrywinkle's dress This is the dress that was worn by 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle when she was killed. Security video played in. This case is the type of case that every parent dreadsso how did it happen? The Prosecutor in the case said Donald had tore her apart, that's how brutal the injuries were. Wherever Cherish was, it involved water. [The trial will] involve the most graphic photos you could possibly imagine,Smiths attorney Julie Schlax replied. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Powered by Shopify. ", by Chilling Crimes The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up an appeal in a high-profile case involving an 8-year-old Jacksonville girl who was abducted from a Walmart and raped and murdered. There were many areas of injury uncovered during the testimony, from scrapes and bruises that Rao believes were the result of Cherish being transported to where her body was found, to ant bites that happened after her death. The June 2013 murder of Cherish Perrywinkle drew huge amounts of news coverage and public attention in Jacksonville, with a jury in 2018 finding Donald James Smith guilty and a judge sending him . It's clear that it's difficult for #CherishPerrywinkle's mother Rayne Perrywinkle to listen to this 911 call. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. A series of swabbings were taken, as well as nail scrapings and clippings. The state and defense have rested in the case against Donald Smith on Day 2 of his murder trial. Perrywinkle can be heard saying: "I'm hoping he's not raping her right now because I've had that done to me and it's not fun.". He told her he waswaiting for his wife andthat they had a $150gift card for Walmart that he would be happy for her to use to buy clothes for thegirls. Lee was able to get a full DNA profile of Smith from samples that were sent to the lab. There were extensive swabs taken in an effort to match DNA to a suspect, and Nicole Lee, with the Florida Department of Law Enforcements Regional Crime Lab in Jacksonville, says many of those samples did- in fact- point to Smith. In all likelihood Cherish would not have been concernedgettinginto Donald's van outside Walmart that night as she had already been in the van with her sisters and mother. @ActionNewsJax, Defense is not presenting any witnesses. @ActionNewsJax, Much of the witnesses in this trial are not being crossed by the defense. At his trial, the court was shown video of the moment Smith led the child away from her family while out shopping. @ActionNewsJax, Carter handled the blue stroller that was found. View our online Press Pack. Her injuries were inflicted before she died. @ActionNewsJax, We are in recess as jurors, and Dr. Rao became emotional while photos of Cherish were shown. Smiths defense lawyers have yet to give an explanation or defense for Smiths actions. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/nfpLo3x45s. Rao described autopsy photos shown to the jury which pictured hemorrhaging and busted blood vessels around her neck, as a result of her strangulation. Because of the nature of the case. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? #DonaldSmith looking straight or down, emotionless, as the recorded conversation plays where he says "I'd like to run in to her at Walmart" when talking about 12-year-old girls that walked through the Jail #CherishPerrywinkle pic.twitter.com/Itlhe9RIud. Swab of Cherish were shown the most graphic photos you could possibly imagine, smiths Attorney Julie Schlax replied back! 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Rao said she hoped very much that his intentions were genuine and that he just wanted to.. @ ActionNewsJax, much of the buttons below to download our app said donald had her! Sent to the airport the following morning, officers begancanvassing the area search.