Using lies and deception, Donald Smith earned Rayne Perrywinkle's trust, and convinced her that he was sincere and wanted only to help her buy things for her children that day.
1. Outside the Dollar General store ("DG"), Donald Smith ("DS") sympathized with Rayne Perrywinkle ("RP") by commenting that she looked like she had her hands full. Then he said: "I have a couple of little ones." [I listened closely to her testimony -- he was definitely speaking of himself -- not alluding to RP's two younger daughters, by his remark.]
2. Before he approached RP with an offer to purchase a little dress at DG for Cherish, he elicited the opinion of the store's assistant manager. He specifically asked him whether he'd be out of line offering to make the purchase for her. The manager testified that he told DS it was not in his job description to give such advice. Nonetheless, DS put on his "big boy pants" and went ahead and made his offer. He told RP that if she really wanted the dress (at Dollar General), for Cherish that she couldn't afford, he would get it for her. She declined. Then, he hatched a better plan.
3. He told her that he had a $150 Walmart gift card and could take them all to Walmart, and she could do her shopping there. He further lied to her by saying that his wife had the gift card, and she was on her way to meet him at Dollar General. Hearing that he was married, and, better yet, that his wife was enroute, made RP feel more at ease. So, they stood in the parking lot of DG, chatting as they waited for his fictitious wife to arrive. When it began to rain, DS sat in his van with the doors open. But he was not really waiting for his "wife." In reality, he was waiting for RP to decide to get into his van with her little girls.
4. He began to get impatient and irritable. He told RP that she didn't have to do this if she didn't want to. Further, he challenged her mistrust by asking her if she wanted to see his driver's license. RP said that this made her feel foolish -- and that she was just being paranoid. Finally, he looked her in the face and told her that she was safe (with him). That is when she decided to put her doubts aside, and agreed to ride to Walmart with him. He told her that his wife would meet them there.
5. As they drove from DG to Walmart, RP peppered him with questions, probably in an effort to further allay her misgivings. DS, in turn, asked questions of her. He wanted to know how old RP and her children were. He volunteered that he was 61 years old. Being that his DOB is September 4, 1956, he would have been only 57 years old in 2013, when he had this conversation with RP. Yet another of his lies -- this one was prompted by his need to make RP believe that he was just an "elderly old Santa Clause-type Good Samaritan." (My Opinion Only) To further convince her that he had a wife, when asked, he said that she was from the Virgin Islands and that she drove a "gold car."
6. When RP asked DS what he did for a living, he claimed that he worked for Habijax. He also spoke about a particular church that he attended, and asked RP if she was familiar with it. So, not only has he represented himself as a trustworthy, benevolent, elderly old Santa Clause, he attends church regularly.
7. As they pulled into the Walmart parking lot and parked, her little girls began to get restless. RP told him that she needed to get out with the girls. DS knew that in order to carry out his plan, a change in strategy was necessary -- ASAP. Otherwise, RP was going to walk away. He extracted his phone from his pocket and pretended to take an incoming call. It appeared to RP that he was speaking to his non-existent wife about what they were going to eat. Chinese food was mentioned by DS, which was not particularly appealing to Rayne, but she said nothing. Nonetheless, the apparent conversation between DS and his "wife" implied that DS would also be buying them all something to eat. He told her to take the girls into Walmart to "the little girls' department" and he would meet her there. Then, he continued to wait for his "wife" to arrive in her "gold car".
8. He rejoied RP and her daughters, a short time later, in the children's clothing department where she had been shopping. He roamed around, lurking mostly, and watching them shop, but spending an inordinate amount of time monitoring Cherish, and he even suggested some inappropriate women's shoes for her. RP rejected the shoes; they were high-heeled women's shoes, not appropriate for an 8-year-old little girl. He led Cherish to the dressing room area a couple of times. He left briefly to shop in another section, and returned with a bundle of rope. This he tossed into RP's cart. All the while, he kept reassuring RP that his wife was coming with the gift card.
9. At about 10:30 p.m., an announcement was made that the store would be closing in 30 minutes. RP continued to shop, but checked first with DS to make sure his offer of the gift card was still good, as it was getting late. Her little girls had not eaten dinner. She wanted to get to the checkout, finalize her purchases with the gift card, and get home.
10. Waiting almost to the 11th hour, DS approached RP and said (with a bizarre gesture -- a puppet-like talking hand -- which RP found very odd) that he was going to a McDonalds inside the store to get something to eat. Cherish ran to her mother's side and told her that he had a $150 gift card. RP asked Cherish if that is what he told her. She said they were going to McDonalds and asked RP what she wanted to eat. Rayne indicated cheeseburgers. As evidenced by the video footage, off DS bolted, towards McDonalds, with Cherish following closely behind. RP said she felt safe in letting Cherish walk to the front of the store with him, where the McDonalds was located, as it was still in her line of sight.
11. Satisfied that the McDonalds was closing (if not yet closed already), DS appeared to speak briefly with Cherish. Here is where he begins to use similar deceptive practices on Cherish. He convinces her that they are just quickly going down the street to another McDonalds --one that is still open -- in his van, and will get cheeseburgers and bring them back for her mother and sisters. This probably seems perfectly logical to Cherish, and she believes that she has her mother's tacit approval. DS swiftly turns on his heel and heads out the front door of Walmart, at a fast clip. Again, Cherish was following closely behind.
12. Before driving out of the Walmart parking lot, DS spies a gold car with a woman at the wheel. He sidles up to it with his van, and, through his window, he shouts to the occupants that they are going to McDonalds for cheeseburgers. This is for Cherish's benefit, to alleviate any doubt she might have about leaving the premises with DS. Cherish knew his "wife" drove a gold car. Here was a woman sitting in a gold car. The driver of the gold car even began following the van because the driver thought her father was a passenger in it. At this point, DS probably could not believe his good fortune.
As we know, Cherish was never seen alive again.
(All of the above is MOO)
