Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Lee was able to get a full DNA profile of Smith from samples that were sent to the lab. The van itself was empty. Cherish Perrywinkle was an 8-year-old girl from Jacksonville, Florida who was abducted from a Walmart on June 21, 2013. On June 21, 2013, Cherish Perrywinkle, 8, was abducted from a Jacksonville Walmart, raped and murdered by Donald James Smith, a sexual offender. But the most extensive injuries were to her genitalia which was torn, swollen, clearly abused, and distorted. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Smiths DNA also matched samples from a rectal swab of Cherish. Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app. Eight-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle's body told the tale of her suffering before she was finally strangled 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 . For the DNA that was collected from Cherishs neck, Lee says it was a match to Smith. @ActionNewsJax, Detective explains a confidential informant said #DonaldSmith was speaking to another inmate using air vents at the jail @ActionNewsJax, DNA expert says the DNA found on Cherish matches #DonaldSmith @ActionNewsJax, Lee is explaining to the jury #DonaldSmith DNA profile. That's the only reason.". @ActionNewsJax, #DonaldSmith says he wishes NOT to testify. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Multiple jurors also cried, covered their mouths and turned away as the graphic photos were shown, CBS affiliate WJAX's Bridgette Matter reported via Twitter. Rao described autopsy photos shown to the jury which pictured hemorrhaging and busted blood vessels around her neck, as a result of her strangulation. All she knew was that she had a badfeeling about him and that he must have taken Cherish. Walmart wasclosing and she had ashopping cart full of clothes, no gift card and nosign of Don, his wife or Cherish. Don told Rayne he would getcheeseburgers in McDonalds. Jury will then deliberate. Rao had seen and conducted "thousands of autopsies" and had been tendered as an expert witness in this case and hundreds of others. People reports that the defense tried in vain to keep graphic photos taken of the little girl, Cherish Perrywinkle, out of the upcoming trial, but Circuit Judge Mallory Cooper ruled that the jury will be allowed to see them. Dr. Valerie Rao was. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday. 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. @ActionNewsJax #DonaldSmith, Lee says semen positive in rectal swab samples. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --A medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on an 8-year-old Florida girl who was abducted, raped and murderedbecame emotional and had to interrupt her testimony at the trial of the man accused of the crime. Not only was there CCTV of Donald leaving Walmart with Cherish, there was evidence of his arrest while still wet and a witness who saw his van parked near to where Cherish's body had been found. It was June 21, 2013, when Cherish and her mother - Rayne Perrywinkle - were approached at the Dollar General store on Edgewood Avenue West in Jacksonville by Smith. He has pleaded not guilty. @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. Any hope of finding Cherish alive was over. The convicted murderer offered to buy Rayne a dress along with a $150 gift card. For the DNA that was collected from Cherishs neck, Lee says it was a match to Smith. A series of swabbings were taken, as well as nail scrapings and clippings. 2023 Cox Media Group. A verdict could come as early as tomorrow in the case against the man charged with kidnapping, raping, and killing a local 8-year-old girl. This week kicked off the trial for the Florida man accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering Perrywinkle. February 13, 2018 / 12:38 PM Verdict possible tomorrow in Donald Smith trial A verdict could come as early as tomorrow in the case against the man charged with kidnapping, raping, and killing a local 8-year-old girl. The murder was especially heinous, or cruel; 5. That something, . Many female jurors cried as Dr. Valerie Rao, the medical examiner who performed Cherish's autopsy, explained injuries and bruising to Cherish's body, including her neck and face, and pictures of her private parts. Jacksonville, FL Editor's note:The details of this testimony can be considered graphic and difficult for some readers. Rayne would later say shethought it was fine as McDonalds was inside Walmart so really they were notleaving the store and there were plenty of people still around. Doctor 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. Walmart announced they would soon be closing and at that stage none of them had eaten anything. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It took a jury 14 minutes Wednesday to convict a 61-year-old Florida man of abducting, raping and murdering 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle, CBS affiliate WJAX reports.He now . With the exception of the insect activity, Rao says they determined all of the injuries she suffered happened before her death. Theyare in our work places, our friendship groups and sometimes even our homes. Chief Medical Examiner just asked for a break, appeared to be holding back emotion. There was a hickey on herright breast. @ActionNewsJax, The next series of photographs are injuries. @ActionNewsJax, Undercover officer confirms pipe chase photos. Sentencing will occur during thetrials penalty phase, should Smith be found guilty. The cashier at the Dollar GeneralStore confirmed a man asked if Rayne had put the clothes back. So in reality she didn't have a lot of money to buy Cherish new clothes for her trip. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. All Rights Reserved. It was shown as evidence to the jury during the trial of Donald Smith. The swift guilty verdicts must come as a relieft to the medical examiner who performed an autopsy on the battered body the young girl. She testified that he believed him. There was a hickey on herright breastand traumatic injuries to her genitalia. After a lapse in time while discussing strategies to find the little girl, officers begancanvassing the area in search of the little girl. He has pleaded not guilty. While preparing to bring out photos taken during that autopsy, State Attorney Melissa Nelson questioned- and Rao confirmed- that they limited the amount of photos they would show, to those which would assist Raos testimony. I dont understand why he would leave right now. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. @ActionNewsJax. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Donald Smith, 61, has appeared in court charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and rape of the eight-year-old girl in June 2013. #DonaldSmith pic.twitter.com/khubusMeBl. 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. Security video played in. A medical examiner who conducted the autopsy 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle became emotional in court Tuesday as she discussed the last moments of the young girl's life. Despite working hundreds of cases, Rao became emotional during her testimony, "I'm sorry I need to take a break," Rao said. We did hear from Donald in this case. The defense for convicted child killer Donald Smith the man who raped and murdered 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle in Jacksonville in 2013 is working to keep him from getting a death . There was also DNA evidence. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "She had so much trauma the anatomy was totally distorted by the injury she suffered," forensic pathologist and Jacksonville chief medical examiner Dr Valerie Rao said as jurors covered and closed their eyes. The force used during the strangulation was so strong that Cherish suffered skin abrasions as well. Jacksonville chief medical examiner Dr Valerie Rao stopped her testimony as images of the child were displayed in the Florida courtroom, saying: She had so much trauma, the anatomy was totally distorted by the injury she suffered. ON TV: Action News Jax will have the latest updates on CBS47 at 5, FOX30 at 10 and CBS47 at 11. [Photo: Florida Department of Law Enforcement]. A number of troublingincidents happened inside Walmart. It took a Jacksonville jury less than 15 minutes to find Donald James Smith, 61, guilty of kidnapping, raping and murdering 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle in Florida in 2013. Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Watch Live: Garland testifies amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. 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. 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. I am listening to testimony while @BethANJax will be live at noon with updates on #DonaldSmith testimony today. Cherish's injuries gave aninsight into some of the brutality and horror Donald had inflicted on her. The murder was premeditated, cold, and calculated; 6 Cherish Perrywinkle was less than 12 years of age. 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. Shortly the recording from the jail will be played. The little girls half-naked body was found outside a church the following day. It's hard for everyone in the courtroom to hear about the crimes done against Cherish Perrywinkle. Cherish was also raped prior to her death, and Rao says injuries resulting from that were severe. Live feed will be back after he is done. During the trial, Cherish's injuries were described and shown to the jury. It takes a person anywhere from three to five minutes to die from being asphyxiated to death. Rao was discussing the heinous murder of Cherish Perrywinkle, a little girl who was lured away from her mother while out shopping before being found dead just hours later in June, 2013. She didn't know Don at all and described him as a man with white hair who drove a white van. Donald saw an opportunity that day when he saw Rayne with her three girls. Rao said she went to the crime scene, Because the nature of the case, it was a child that was abducted. #DonaldSmith can be heard saying this to another inmate about a girl at the jail @ActionNewsJax, #DonaldSmith can be heard saying they're about 12, 13. During that time the man introduced himself as Don to Rayne. taking the girl from her family at a Northside Walmart, environmental factors like the presence of water where the remains were found, SPOTLIGHT: Gate River Run kicks off first weekend in March, Jury visits crime scene before closings at Murdaugh trial, Push to require clergy to report abuse stalls in Mormon Utah, DTE Energy, Consumers Energy face power-outage challenges, You Decide 2023 - The Race For Jacksonville Mayor - Omega Allen Spotlight, You Decide 2023 - The Race For Jacksonville Mayor - Donna Deegan Spotlight, You Decide 2023 - The Race For Jacksonville Mayor - Frank Keasler Spotlight. 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. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously upheld the conviction and death sentence of Donald James Smith, who raped and murdered 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinklle after. Road closed due to construction work on Channel View Blvd both ways from Blount Island Blvd to Reef Run Rd. 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. I already know hes going to rape her.. At around 7.30pm thatevening, Rayne took Cherish and her two sisters to the DollarGeneralStore on Edgewood Avenue. Her injuries revealed defensive wounds which showed this little 67lbs 8 year old girl fought for her life but she was no match for the monster who had kidnapped her. Police went to the area and looked for water. Donald James Smith faces charges offirst-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual battery. Lee says semen was found in Cherishs mouth, vagina, and rectum, and other DNA was recovered from around her neck. It would have seemed like a natural thingto do as she had already travelled in that van to Walmart. This week kicked off the trial for the Florida man accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering Perrywinkle. 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. At his trial, the court was shown video of the moment Smith led the child away from her family while out shopping. Police were familiar with Don. "Why in the world would he take my little girl?" Cherish was also raped prior to her death, and Rao says injuries resulting from that were severe. 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). . Clicca su Gestisci impostazioni per maggiori informazioni e per gestire le tue scelte. 2023 Cox Media Group. He had been released from prison 21 days before Cherish's murder and is now facing the death penalty. He lured the child away from her mother with the promise of new clothes after overhearing the mother complaining of being unable to afford new dresses for her daughters. It's all part of the second day of the trial of Donald Smith, the man who's accused of taking the girl from her family at a Northside Walmart, raping her, and leaving her dead in brackish water near a church. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. U.S. requests extradition of drug kingpin's son, Mexico says, 8-year-old Florida girl who was abducted, raped and murdered. 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