Twin brothers are heading to prison for their involvement in a deadly car chase two summers ago in Rabun County. Jesse Reeves Smith and James Cody Smith, both 24 of Lakemont, pleaded guilty in Rabun County Superior Court Tuesday.
Jesse Smith pled guilty to homicide by motor vehicle in the death of 18-year-old Wayne Turpin of Walhalla, South Carolina. He also pled guilty to four counts of serious injury by motor vehicle.
James Smith entered an Alford plea, according to prosecutors. He maintains his innocence but acknowledges there’s likely enough evidence to convict him if his case goes to trial.
Deadly chase
The charges against the Smith brothers stem from a wreck on July 14, 2017 on East Wolf Creek Road in Rabun County. Jesse was driving and James was a passenger in a 1994 Chevrolet GMT-400 pickup that chased down a 1988 Ford Bronco carrying five teenaged boys. Prosecutors say the truck “repeatedly rammed” the Bronco until it ran up an embankment and overturned. Turpin was ejected. He died at the scene. The wreck injured the four other teens in the Bronco.
Prosecutors say the deadly chase started after the teens went to the Smith’s house in Lakemont to address an “earlier event” that occurred between the Smith brothers and one of the teens. During the plea hearing it was stated that Jesse Smith took money from one of the individuals in the wrecked vehicle for drugs but did not deliver any drugs, according to Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Christian.
Judge Russell Smith, who prosecutors say is not related to the defendants, sentenced the Smiths after hearing victim impact statements. He sentenced Jesse Smith to a total of 30 years and James Smith to a total of 12 years.
Sentencing details
The judge ordered Jesse Smith to serve 9 years in state prison and 21 years on probation. He fined him $2,500 and ordered him to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. Jesse Smith must successfully complete an anger management program, submit to random drug testing, and not have any contact with the victims as part of his probation. He’s also prohibited from possessing firearms while under sentence and is subject to search without a warrant while on probation.
Prosecutors and the defense attorney gave the judge a joint sentence recommendation for James Smith. The judge ordered him to serve 3 years in prison and 9 years on probation. The judge also ordered him to not have any contact with the victims.
Judge Smith issued a recommendation to the Georgia Department of Corrections that both brothers attend an in prison drug treatment program.
GBI “instrumental”
Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Christian publicly thanked the team that investigated and prosecuted the case including Assistant D.A. Anthony Pickett, the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT), and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
“The G.B.I.’s investigation and assistance was instrumental in this case being resolved by way of guilty pleas,” Christian says.
Christian also commended Victims Advocate India McCoy for keeping the victims and their families informed throughout the legal process and for championing “their respective opinion and request.”
