Rao estimates it would have taken three to five minutes for the girl to die in this manner. Cherish was also raped prior to her death, and Rao says injuries resulting from that were severe. 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. First published on February 13, 2018 / 12:38 PM. When discussing Cherish with his mother, he said"what's her name again?" What she sustained was tremendous force on her next, such that she basically, she could not breathe. She says its a 1 in 35 quintillion match, meaning shes confident the only other person responsible could be an identical twin, if Smith had one. Eight-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle's body told the tale of her suffering before she was finally strangled to death. Viewing autopsy photographs of her battered body in court on Tuesday, she became teary and asked to take a break. 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. At 11.20pm, Rayne called 911. Jury will then deliberate. 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. She got into Don's van. So in reality she didn't have a lot of money to buy Cherish new clothes for her trip. Lee is now explaining the analysis she did of #DonaldSmith's DNA. As CrimeOnline previously reported,OnJune 21, 2013,a man approached a single, struggling mother,Reyne Perrywinkle, at the Dollar General store onEdgewood Avenue West in Jacksonville. The comments below have not been moderated, by Chilling Crimes Rao had seen and conducted "thousands of autopsies" and had been tendered as an expert witness in this case and hundreds of others. That day was not a normal day for Cherish Perrywinkle in the sense that she was due to fly to California the next morning to spend the summer with her father. . Rao says she actually went out to the scene where Cherish was recovered. Security video played in. She spent around 20 minutessearching Walmart, McDonalds and the car park. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Example video title will go here for this video. Here we have two people who are in a struggle. As she looked at photos of Cherish's disfigured body, Rao began to cry and asked to take a break. In opening statements, State AttorneyMelissa Nelson told jurors that Smith made comments about a group of girls in the jail. I need just 5 minutes.". Rayne went into Walmart with the three girls and began shopping. Please enter valid email address to continue. #DonaldSmith pic.twitter.com/khubusMeBl. Sources from the courtroom claim the man accused to the childs horrific murder turned his back when autopsy pictures were shown. I already know hes going to rape her.. Todays testimony was clearly difficult for some of the jurors, with many openly shedding tears as the autopsy photos were put in front of them. She said that she did not want to appear too overprotective. @ActionNewsJax, DNA expert identifies slides she prepared from the rape kit taken in Cherish's case. It was the last time 8-year-old Cherish was seen alive. Please check your connection and try again using the Retry button. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.12'; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Posted by In Loving Memory of Angels onTuesday, January 31, 2017. Even Rao had to ask the court for a brief recess during her testimony. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. As Rayne didn't have a car and didn't drive, she walked with the girls and their stroller to the store. @ActionNewsJax. It is clear he did not want to be seen as a paedophile but make no mistake, that's exactly what he is. Swabs were also taken of her breasts, one of which had visible signs of a hickey, according to Rao. Includingthe witnesses. At his trial, the court was shown video of the moment Smith led the child away from her family while out shopping. Each attempt to look at where the virus started is swamped by misinformation. When Rayne and her three girls were inside the van, Don drove to Walmart which was a ten minute drive away to meet his wife. The next morning, Perrywinkles body was found half-naked and shoved under a fallen tree in a marshy area near Jacksonville. 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. Some potential jurors were visibly shaken in a Jacksonville courtroom, while listening to details regarding the upcoming trial against a Florida man accused of kidnapping, raping, and killing a Florida girl. On June 21, 2013, eight-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle of Jacksonville, Florida, was abducted from her neighborhood Walmart while shopping with her mother and a stranger who offered to buy them clothes. Cherish Perrywinkle's dress This is the dress that was worn by 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle when she was killed. . Sentencing will occur during thetrials penalty phase, should Smith be found guilty. Death row inmate . Cox Media Group. At times she fought back tears while speaking about the last hours of her daughters life in 2013. I dont want him to kill her. Smith had been on the sex offenders list since 1993. On June 21, 2013, Cherish Perrywinkle, 8, was abducted from a Jacksonville Walmart, raped and murdered by Donald James Smith, a sexual offender. Subscribe to 104.5 WOKV newsletter(Opens a new window), 104.5 WOKV facebook feed(Opens a new window), 104.5 WOKV twitter feed(Opens a new window), 104.5 WOKV instagram feed(Opens a new window). Dr. Wu said that Smith was just 9 when he suffered a traumatic brain injury (or TBI). This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. There was a hickey on herright breast. Smith had an extensive criminal record, which included a lewd assault on a child, an attempted abduction on a 13-year-old girl, harassing phone calls to a 9-year-old girl, and an attempted abduction on two teen girls by trying to lure themto his vehicle with pornographic magazines. Large petechiae formed in her eyes from the force of strangling her to death. @ActionNewsJax, #DonaldSmith has looked at all evidence presented in this case, but his back is turned to the screen as Cherish's autopsy photos are shown. Walmart wasclosing and she had ashopping cart full of clothes, no gift card and nosign of Don, his wife or Cherish. Rayne reportedly had her head down as she listened to the call from the witness stand. He claimed hed buy the girls clothing with a gift card. 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. All Rights Reserved. On cross-examination, the defense confirmed there was no foreign DNA under Cherishs finger nails. Her injuries revealed defensive wounds which showed this little 67lbs 8 year old girl fou ght for her life but she was no match for the monster who had kidnapped her. #DonaldSmith @FCN2go pic.twitter.com/IqHaXOp8UO. Donald James Smith, 61, faces the death penalty if he is found guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual battery, reported The Washington Post. The mother said she hoped very much that his intentions were genuine and that he just wanted to help. Smith drove Perrywinkle, her daughter, Cherish, and her two other little girls to the Walmart off ofLem Turner Road, claiming that his wife would meet them there and help them shop for clothes. Smith had his back turned to the screen and did not view the photos, Matter reported. Smith overheard Rayne explain to an . Cherish Perrywinkle CBS affiliate WTEV Smith allegedly lured Perrywinkle's family to Walmart in 2013 with promises to buy food and clothing, then left with the girl. As jurors . #DonaldSmith has not turned around to look Cherish's autopsy photos, he is not looking at photos of himself either. After a lapse in time while discussing strategies to find the little girl, officers begancanvassing the area in search of the little girl. During the testimony, Rao became emotional and asked to take a break, seemingly overwhelmed by the photographs. Smith can be heard in the recording saying they're about 12 or13 years old. It takes a person anywhere from three to five minutes to die from being asphyxiated to 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 to Death Row. Photo / AP. @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. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? That something, . "That's right up my alley, right there, that's my target area," he's heard saying. "That's right up my alley, right there, that's my target area." She sustained bruises to her legs, her arms, the hickey on her breast, and various scratches. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/MKEFKNzl74, Dr. Rao says Smith has injuries to his private area. Despite working hundreds of cases, Rao became emotional during her testimony, "I'm sorry I need to take a break," Rao said. 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. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. According to court documents . ", Even the state attorney and Medical Examiner seem to be getting caught by the enormity of the emotion. @ActionNewsJax, Closings are scheduled for tomorrow. #DonaldSmith #CherishPerrywinkle, Two women cover their mouth as next photo is shown. Expert says this was an exact match. #DonaldSmith @ActionNewsJax, We cannot identify undercover officer, I am live tweeting testimony. Smith told Rayne. But it wasn't until closing time that his true and sinister intentions were revealed. #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. [Feature Photo: Cherish Perrywinkle/Family Handout], Mystery Surrounds Mom-of-3 Found Dead After Failing to Pick up Children from School, Police Ask for Patience, Missing Nevada Woman Stopped Contact with Family, Police Seek Tips, Unknown Man Seen Using Missing Georgia Mans Credit Card in Baton Rouge. She became teary and asked to take a break group Television tremendous on! Just 9 when he suffered a traumatic brain injury ( or TBI ) my,! 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