THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 21, 1995 TAG: 9507210529
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Something terrible and unexplained happened to David Smith.
No one knows why, but the 40-year-old insurance adjuster shot to death his two, teenage children in their Greenbrier-area home Monday. Then, the church-going man with no history of family, legal or financial problems killed himself.
On Thursday, three caskets - lined end-to-end at the First Baptist Church of Norfolk on Kempsville Road - were painful reminders of that tumultuous, tragic day.
``There will be those of you tonight quick to judge what David did,'' the Rev. Tommy Teague told the 200 at the memorial service. ``But be not a judge of David unless you are one of yourself. We are all unrighteous, unpure, unholy.''
Police investigating the case have speculated that a mix of prescription drugs David Smith was taking for an undisclosed medical condition may have contributed to the violence, but Teague said there will never be answers.
``We don't know what was in his heart or in his mind,'' Teague said. ``There are times in life when you make choices. This was one of those times for David, and he made the wrong choice. . . . But if a person has received Christ in his heart, even though he makes a bad choice, Christ doesn't go away.''
Sometime Monday morning, David Smith phoned his wife at work to ask how she was doing. Around 11:15 a.m., he left his office and drove home. Neighbors in the 1100 block of Shoal Creek Trail said they didn't see or hear anything unusual that afternoon. But something happened. When Kim Smith returned home at 6 p.m., she found the bodies of her family.
Her daughter, Amy Leigh Smith, was a 13-year-old eighth-grader at Crestwood Middle School and a member of the church choir. Teague said she was ``bubbly'' and had a ``winsome smile.''
Amy had recently won an award at her school for demonstrating kindness to others.
Her 15-year-old brother, Eric, was a shy honors student at Indian River High School. He was an aspiring poet and guitar player who wanted to be an engineer.
Both children were born in Alabama, their father's home state. All three will be buried there.
``The question tonight is not `why,' '' Teague said. ``We don't know why bad things happen to good people. The question is `what.' What can we learn from this to help us rise above these times and these situations?''
Memorial donations may be made to the Smith Family Memorial, c/o First Baptist Church of Norfolk, 312 Kempsville Road, Norfolk, Va. 23502.
KEYWORDS: MURDER SUICIDE SHOOTING by CNB