GUILTY FL - Cherish Perrywinkle, 8, Jacksonville, 21 June 2013 #2

[GulfCoastKAT]

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...tion-about-donald-james-smith-charged-cherish

"The Times-Union would like to talk with anyone who knows anything about Donald James Smith, 56, whom Jacksonville police have charged in the death of 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle.
Please contact reporter Jim Schoettler at 904-359-4385 (office) 904-338-1609 (cell)"

MOO- Donald Smith had been escalating in his crimes against children since the '70's but always seemed to be caught right before he got to follow through with his intentions.... Until last Friday night when he found RP and Cherish. He gave Rayne his real name. He took them to a public place that he had to know he would be caught on multiple cameras... He hit the jackpot with RP (this makes me nauseous typing it). He finally got to do to Cherish what he has been trying to do for decades. I honestly believe he never thought he would get away with it.

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

I wouldn't think they'd broadcast pictures of her dead body, would they?
I have no problem with broadcasting the service otherwise.

Just hoping that no curious outsiders were allowed to take photos of her at the viewing so that Cherish wouldn't be subjected to the final indignity of having those photos online for any perverts to view anytime.

The photos on some of the links posted here last night were very close to being too much, IMO. There were some from inside the church right up close to her open casket taken at an angle so that the mourner standing next to her covered her actual head/body from being seen. I cannot believe that a.) any photog would take a photo like that b.) that the church would allow cameras into an 8 yr old's funeral- especially an 8 yr old who was brutally and savagely murdered by an RSO; and c.) That RP and/or Mr. J didn't object to the press being there.

I have buried a child, I guarantee you, if anyone would have had a camera anywhere near my son's casket or funeral service, I would have broken it.

 

[Magdalyn]

MOO- Donald Smith had been escalating in his crimes against children since the '70's but always seemed to be caught right before he got to follow through with his intentions.... Until last Friday night when he found RP and Cherish. He gave Rayne his real name. He took them to a public place that he had to know he would be caught on multiple cameras... He hit the jackpot with RP (this makes me nauseous typing it). He finally got to do to Cherish what he has been trying to do for decades. I honestly believe he never thought he would get away with it.

You do have a point. I think he may have done/tried to do everything he did with Cherish with past victims, but never fully succeeded to the extent he did with Cherish. It doesn't sound like her body was very well hidden. If he's been doing the murder thing for years, you'd think he'd have perfected the 'hide the body' part. I could be wrong, of course.

I do believe he's been actively violating children all this time, just not caught. Like Jerry Sandusky victimizing the Second Mile (?) boys because they were more vulnerable/had a situation where it was easy to have the boys away from prying eyes, I'm sure, as we saw on the night of the 21st, DS has perfected finding children who are vulnerable because of a, for lack of a better term, lax parenting style.

If, God forbid, he ever gets out of jail again, you can bet your hiney his new mantra will be "No cameras, No real name, hide the body better, no cameras, no real name, hide the body better." Ugh.

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

What? Arrest reports? Why would Cherish be in any arrest reports? Has she been a victim of a crime before this?

I'm guessing Donald Smith's arrest report on Sat. morning?

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

You do have a point. I think he may have done/tried to do everything he did with Cherish with past victims, but never fully succeeded to the extent he did with Cherish. It doesn't sound like her body was very well hidden. If he's been doing the murder thing for years, you'd think he'd have perfected the 'hide the body' part. I could be wrong, of course.

I do believe he's been actively violating children all this time, just not caught. Like Jerry Sandusky victimizing the Second Mile (?) boys because they were more vulnerable/had a situation where it was easy to have the boys away from prying eyes, I'm sure, as we saw on the night of the 21st, DS has perfected finding children who are vulnerable because of a, for lack of a better term, lax parenting style.

If, God forbid, he ever gets out of jail again, you can bet your hiney his new mantra will be "No cameras, No real name, hide the body better, no cameras, no real name, hide the body better." Ugh.

I hope that when he heard those bars lock on Saturday morning that was a forever sound for him. The needle would be too kind for DS. I wish he could be shipped here to serve his sentence out at Angola State Penitentiary.

 

[Ausgirl]

Smith -has- been arrested for 'lewd and lascivious' behaviour with a minor and for IIRC for kidnapping and distributing *advertiser censored* to minors as well?, which implies he had some 'success' at gaining access to/molesting kids in the past.

And those are just the ones he's been caught for. There very well may be others no-one will know about, if he did have time to hide a body well..

Not sure what 'lewd and lascivious' covers, in Florida, though.

His crime against Cherish is a bit odd, now I come to think of it - giving his real name/public place with cameras/etc... after the elaborate ruses of the past.

Almost like he did want to be caught, this time.

 

[MadamReporter]

The photos on some of the links posted here last night were very close to being too much, IMO. There were some from inside the church right up close to her open casket taken at an angle so that the mourner standing next to her covered her actual head/body from being seen. I cannot believe that a.) any photog would take a photo like that b.) that the church would allow cameras into an 8 yr old's funeral- especially an 8 yr old who was brutally and savagely murdered by an RSO; and c.) That RP and/or Mr. J didn't object to the press being there.

I have buried a child, I guarantee you, if anyone would have had a camera anywhere near my son's casket or funeral service, I would have broken it.

When I read that "thousands" came to show support at this public viewing, my first two thoughts were:

1) I wonder how many pictures that means were taken of her?

and

2) I wonder how many other sex offenders that means came to "pay their respects"?

I'm no CPA, but I can certainly do this math.

 

[my_tee_mouse]

MOO- Donald Smith had been escalating in his crimes against children since the '70's but always seemed to be caught right before he got to follow through with his intentions.... Until last Friday night when he found RP and Cherish. He gave Rayne his real name. He took them to a public place that he had to know he would be caught on multiple cameras... He hit the jackpot with RP (this makes me nauseous typing it). He finally got to do to Cherish what he has been trying to do for decades. I honestly believe he never thought he would get away with it.

Yeah...when you think about all of it...it's like he didn't think he had anything he needed to hide...until something went wrong at the very last juncture and he found it necessary to kill Cherish.

 

[Magdalyn]

Smith -has- been arrested for 'lewd and lascivious' behaviour with a minor and for IIRC for kidnapping and distributing *advertiser censored* to minors as well?, which implies he had some 'success' at gaining access to/molesting kids in the past.

And those are just the ones he's been caught for. There very well may be others no-one will know about, if he did have time to hide a body well..

Not sure what 'lewd and lascivious' covers, in Florida, though.

His crime against Cherish is a bit odd, now I come to think of it - giving his real name/public place with cameras/etc... after the elaborate ruses of the past.

Almost like he did want to be caught, this time.

I think it could simply be he's been in prison for the last three years with zero access to child victims, much to his dismay. Suddenly he's out and free to roam and has easy access to this pretty little girl. His sick compulsion overruled any scrap of logic he might have possessed.

He should be euthanized, IMO.

 

[FigTree]

Sleuthing the perp? Why - what a great idea!

You know. I have wondered this myself - stalking was certainly his MO for several other crimes. And quite thoroughly too - he is patient and cunning...

And I think maybe the 'chase' is part, if not most of the thrill. If the attack was all of it - he maybe wouldn't have killed Cherish quite so quickly. Or spent so much time terrorising his other victims, playing with them, when he could have just snatched the children.

In any case, he does target vulnerable families. In past cases, stalked them for -weeks- at a time. I can't help thinking he's stalked Cherish's family too (maybe several other families in the area, also..kind of fits with his MO ) and already knew perfectly well just how vulnerable Cherish was.

I don't feel comfortable at all with speculation that the Perrywinkles 'sold' Cherish to a pedo or that Smith knew the family personally but no-one's admitting it - until there is some better proof that this was so, it's just rumour mongering.

But since he's 100% for sure stalked before and on more than one occasion acted in a highly predatory manner, I would not be surprised to find he'd been stalking the Perrywinkles, too. And maybe for quite some time as well.

]eta : I did pick up on the Maccas thing too, Astrokitty. Functional, I wonder, or part of his rape script? Good catch!

And yes, his list of priors for theft is a pretty long one..

I'd hate to think he had ANY access to any kind of files.. I hope not. More likely, I think, that he just stakes out a school or playground and watches for kids with careless/old/sick/single guardians and goes from there..

I certainly would NOT be surprised to find that he's abducted and killed other kids. Not one bit surprised. He wouldn't be eager to go back to prison... All missing kids in his preferred age range/known areas ought to be looked at for possible links.

After reading this article Family victimized by sex offender feels guilty about plea that got him 2 years instead of 20+
It seems to me he has a very complex and detailed plan laid out ahead before he even makes contact. If this was the case then he may have had prior knowledge and/or contact (not necessarily identifiable contact) with the Cherish's family. He may also have had other families in play (as you say). He was also known to Reyne Perrywinkle as 'Don' - he had given her his actual name. SOURCE LINK

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

Yeah...when you think about all of it...it's like he didn't think he had anything he needed to hide...until something went wrong at the very last juncture and he found it necessary to kill Cherish.

I think he never intended for her to live. I could be wrong but it's MOO that he planned to kill her all along- especially being so bold as to be so public with his grooming in Walmart of all places.

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

I've seen several references and questions regarding FL DFACS. This case formed my opinion on that state agency:
Found Deceased FL - Dontrell Melvin, 5 months, Hallandale Beach, July 2011 - missing for 18 months - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

 

[FigTree]

In some of the first video news reports you can see he is not making any attempt to cover who he is. He is in Walmart 0:29sec and there are pics of his van - easily distinguishable.
http://youtu.be/6r6CPBFqvpo

I wonder if LE have had a breakthrough with the missing stroller they are looking for.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

When I read that "thousands" came to show support at this public viewing, my first two thoughts were:

1) I wonder how many pictures that means were taken of her?

and

2) I wonder how many other sex offenders that means came to "pay their respects"?

I'm no CPA, but I can certainly do this math.

I would think that if someone took out a phone or camera when viewing the casket, someone else would have noticed, and there would've been a scene. Did people even know it was open casket before they went to the service?

What makes you think RSO's would come to the service? Because it was open casket? I have never thought these services for murdered children were meeting grounds for all the RSO's in the area.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I think he never intended for her to live. I could be wrong but it's MOO that he planned to kill her all along- especially being so bold as to be so public with his grooming in Walmart of all places.

Maybe when he found out she was going to her dad's house the next day, he decided to kill her incase she told him what happened. :/

 

[Donjeta]

I'm guessing Donald Smith's arrest report on Sat. morning?

Yeah, that... it was just the wording that made me think there was more than that from some time before this

iCourt documents and arrest reports had also previously used “Cherish Periwinkle” and “Charish Lilly Perrywinkle.”

 

[my_tee_mouse]

I think he never intended for her to live. I could be wrong but it's MOO that he planned to kill her all along- especially being so bold as to be so public with his grooming in Walmart of all places.

Well, IMO, when everything is put together...there just didn't seem to be a lot of grooming taking place at all.

 

[MadamReporter]

I would think that if someone took out a phone or camera when viewing the casket, someone else would have noticed, and there would've been a scene. Did people even know it was open casket before they went to the service?

What makes you think RSO's would come to the service? Because it was open casket? I have never thought these services for murdered children were meeting grounds for all the RSO's in the area.

This is the first case I've heard of where a child victim of sexual assault and murder had a public viewing of her open casket. I don't think any sex offenders would come to meet up with other sex offenders; I think they would come to leer at this violated little girl, knowing what her body had been through.

-Just my (horrifying) opinion.

ETA: And to answer your other question: No, I don't think anyone whipped out their clicking camera with a paparazzi lense, but I do think that not everyone with a cell-phone camera has strong morals and values.

 

[Ausgirl]

Every moment Smith spent with that family was him grooming them, with the object of molesting a child.

Rayne just made this goal easier to achieve.

IMO.

 

[Magdalyn]

Well, IMO, when everything is put together...there just didn't seem to be a lot of grooming taking place at all.

Two changing room escorts killed two birds with one stone, pardon the poor phrasing.

For Cherish, he either built her trust by safely delivering her to and from the fitting rooms w/o doing anything untoward, or he gradually did untoward things, gauged her reaction/non-reaction, and moved forward with his plan.

For Mom, he trained her quickly to believe that if he disappeared with Cherish, he always returned with her.