By james art CANTON, N.Y. (WWNY) – Tuesday’s session of “The People of New York vs. Adam Smith” began with talk of blood money.
Smith is currently on trial for the February and March 2023 murders of Ronald “Huck” Durham and William Freeman, respectively.
First thing in the morning, Belleville resident and former Sandy Creek Dollar General Manager Patricia Lee was brought to the stand. The subject: a number of purchases made by Adam Smith at her store last February.
Prosecutors say receipts and surveillance footage show Smith used several $100 bills to buy gift cards for Apple and the online gaming platform Steam. According to Lee’s testimony, each of the bills was stained with blood.
This apparently happened on February 11, 2023, the same day that 72-year-old Huck Durham is believed to have been killed.
According to Lee, Smith claimed the spots were painted, but she was disturbed by the experience. She also stated that Smith was acting irritable, but later apologized, saying: “My uncle was just killed.”
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Brian Barrett, Lee revealed that she didn’t call the cops at that point because she didn’t see blood on Smith himself.
Representatives from AT&T and Verizon also took the stand. They authenticated phone records, including the calls and location data of numbers belonging to both Ronald “Huck” Durham and Adam Smith, which were entered into evidence.
When 7News left the courtroom, Oswegatchie resident Melissa Ryder was in the stand. Ryder found victim Ronald “Huck” Durham’s phone just outside a wooded area by the Main Street bridge in Gouverneur.
Testimony will continue on Wednesday.
Copyright 2024 WWNY. All rights reserved.