Sheriff: Triple murder may be tied to blue moon

Will Isern | Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Florida triple murder may have ties to witchcraft One week after a triple murder in Escambia County, Florida, the sheriff announced the possibility that the murders may be linked to witchcraft.

PENSACOLA, Fla. — An elderly mother and her two sons found dead in their home last week are said to have been the victims of a ritualistic murder coinciding with last week's blue moon, according to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan.

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Morgan said investigators have interviewed a person of interest in the case who is known to practice what the sheriff described as "witchcraft." The positioning of the victims' bodies, Morgan said, led investigators to believe the murders were part of a ritual.

"Initial research has led us to believe it was a ritualistic killing," Morgan said. "The method of the murder — blunt force trauma, slit throats, positioning of bodies — and our person of interest has some ties to a faith or religion that is indicative of that. The time of the death on Tuesday also coincides with what's referred to as a blue moon, which occurs every three years."

A blue moon is a second full moon in a calendar month. Full moons occurred last month on July 2 and July 31 — last Friday.

The victims — Voncile Smith, 77, John William Smith, 49, and Richard Thomas Smith, 47 — were found in their home Friday during a welfare check. They are said to have been killed with a hammer and their throats slit. Richard Thomas Smith, a Department of Homeland Security employee, was also shot in the head.

Triple homicide may have been Witchcraft ritual Sheriff David Morgan says triple homicide may have been related to Witchcraft and a blue moon.

There were no signs of forced entry at the victims' home, and Morgan said the person of interest was known to the family. Morgan said investigators ruled out robbery as a potential motive after finding a safe containing "a substantial amount of cash" left at the house.

Based upon a review by the medical examiner's officer, Morgan said the victims are believed to have been killed sometime after 7 p.m. Tuesday. Morgan said the sheriff's office is awaiting the results of lab tests being performed on evidence found in the home.

Morgan described the Smiths as "reclusive," and said none of the neighbors investigators interviewed had ever entered their house.