By james art CANTON, N.Y. (WWNY) – During the second day of testimony in the Adam Smith double-murder trial, two 911 calls were played for jurors in St. Lawrence County Circuit Court.
Leroy Tarrett Jr. and his son Jeffrey Tarrett discovered the body of one of Smith’s alleged victims at East Riverside Cemetery in Gouverneur. Both men called 911.
During Leroy’s call, he was heard telling the dispatcher, “There’s blood everywhere” and “He cut his throat.”
The men found 72-year-old Ronald “Huck” Durham. They testified that their first thought was that he had killed himself.
However, prosecutors allege that Smith killed Durham on February 11, 2023.
The Tarretts testified that they were working on a roof at a relative’s home across the street from the cemetery when they noticed that Durham’s truck had been there for some time. They were the first to find him dead.
Neither Tarrett nor his son said they saw any other vehicles or Smith at the cemetery that morning.
The defense pointed out, and both witnesses admitted, that on the morning he was killed, Durham’s truck was parked across from where it usually was when he visited his wife’s grave.
Smith is also believed to have killed 67-year-old William Freeman. Freeman was found dead on March 2, 2023, at his home at 258 County Route 10 in Rossi Township.
Three other witnesses took the stand Wednesday, including a doctor who testified about Freeman’s autopsy report. He said Freeman suffered cuts to his neck and a stab wound to his back.
The trial continues Thursday morning at 9:30.
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