CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Superior Court jury found Oral Christopher Smith guilty of murder on Friday, Acting Virgin Islands Attorney General Carol Thomas-Jacobs said.
Smith, 44, was found guilty of murder after an assault in 2018 that left 35-year-old Regina L. Powell dead. The trial began on Wednesday, January 18 and the accused was found guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree assault-domestic violence on Wednesday, according to the VIDOJ.
The prosecution team of Assistant Attorneys General Kimberly Riley, Anna Scott, and John Barraco, proved to the jury that on or about August 24-25, the defendant, Smith, willfully, deliberately and unlawfully kill Powell by bludgeoning her head with an unknown object, causing her death, AG Thomas-Jacobs said.
According to court documents, detectives found Powell dead on the living room floor of the Estate Lerkenlund apartment that the couple shared. A witness told detectives that loud voices were heard coming from the victim’s apartment the evening of August 24, recognized as Smith and his girlfriend.
The witness also stated that around 4 am on August 25, Smith knocked on his/her door for assistance. Smith then made a statement to the witness indicating that after he arrived home from work on the evening of August 24, he went to sleep and awoke hours later to discover Powell unconscious on the floor and one thousand dollars ($1,000) cash missing.
The witness then followed Smith to his apartment and found Powell lying unconscious on the floor. The witness called 911 after they were unable to locate a pulse and found Powell’s neck stiff and skin cold.
The Medical Examiner determined Powell had sustained blunt force trauma to her head and multiple bruises to her arms and back. Officers on the scene on August 25 stated that they observed signs of a struggle in the home, including shattered glass and blood on a nearby pillow.
Smith was arrested four days after the 2018 murder by a warrant and was jailed awaiting trial ever since.
Smith faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on the first-degree assault-domestic violence conviction and the second-degree murder conviction carries no maximum sentence.