Bingham County murder suspect pleads not guilty
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BLACKFOOT — The case of a 48-year-old woman accused of killing a man at her Pingree home will go to jury trial.
Melonie Smith appeared in district court before Judge Darren B. Simpson in Bingham County on Monday for an arraignment hearing on two felony charges alleging her involvement the mid-February death of David Lee Davis.
According to an autopsy report,30-year-old Davis was brutally killed by a gunshot to the back of the head. Prosecutors say Smith pulled the trigger.
A witnesses testified during Smith’s preliminary hearing that Smith recounted to him the events that lead to Davis’ death.
“(Smith) said he was on his knees by the couch and he was telling her that he didn’t want to die, that he wanted to see his kids again and that he needed a doctor,” Lopez said. “(Smith) said she gave him two (hydrocodone) for the pain and a glass of water and when he reached to set the water down, she shot him in the head with an armor piercing .45-70 … she said it was like putting a dog out of its misery.”
Magistrate Judge James Barrett forwarded the case to 7th District Court following a daylong preliminary hearing earlier this month.
The trial is scheduled for August.
If convicted, Smith faces up to life in prison.