Piketon man sentenced to life in prison after conviction related to quadruple-fatality crash
A Piketon resident received a life sentence without parole eligibility for the next 60 years following his convictions for four counts of murder and a host of related charges following a three-day bench trial which concluded July 9.
Gage Smith, 24, initially faced 47 total counts, 37 of them for felony charges, stemming from an indictment returned by a Scioto County grand jury in June 2024.
Smith waived his right to a jury trial and elected to have Judge Mark Kuhn decide the merits of the case. He had further entered pleas to five of the counts he was facing prior to the start of trial, leaving 42 remaining charges for Judge Kuhn to consider. These remaining charges included murder, felonious assault, aggravated vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, endangering children, aggravated vehicular assault, aggravated trafficking in drugs and numerous others stemming from his alleged actions which led to the death of three children and an adult female passenger in his vehicle on May 24, 2024. Also seriously injured was an adult male struck by Smith’s vehicle.
The State of Ohio’s case was presented by chief assistant prosecutor Julie Cooke Hutchinson, along with assistant prosecuting attorney Matthew Loesch. Smith was represented by local attorney Shawn Stratton.
The evidence at trial was that shortly after 1 p.m. on May 24, 2024, Smith was the driver of a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier traveling northbound on state Route 104 in Lucasville. The front-seat passenger was Smith’s 28-year-old girlfriend, also of Piketon. In the rear of the vehicle were three children, ages 6, 5 and 4.The group was returning to Piketon, having just attended the 6-year-old’s kindergarten graduation ceremony.
An eyewitness account indicated that Smith was allegedly weaving in and out of his lane of travel and passing other vehicles in prohibited areas. This same witness indicated that Smith was allegedly traveling at speeds approaching or exceeding 80mph in a 55mph zone.
After Smith had passed another vehicle, he allegedly lost control of his Cavalier and spun into the southbound lane where the rear of the Cavalier impacted a truck pulling a camper driven by a 29-year-old man, also of Piketon. The 29-year-old’s wife and their 7-month-old child were in a vehicle trailing directly behind him. The 29-year-old was remarkably able to bring his truck and the camper to a careful and controlled stop despite the massive collision. He never left his lane of travel and had no ability to avoid the collision.
Smith’s Cavalier, specifically the rear where the children were seated, suffered massive damage. The three children were entrapped in the back seat as a result of the catastrophic damage to the vehicle. Motorists, local residents, Ohio Highway Patrol troopers, and emergency first responders converged on the scene and began providing assistance. With disregard for their own safety, these individuals began tearing the vehicle apart to extract the children, with at least one trooper suffering injuries as a result of these efforts.
Smith’s girlfriend was removed, and the two younger children were able to be manually extracted. The 6-year-old remained entrapped, and the jaws of life had to be used to finally remove her. After her extraction, it was clear that she had suffered massive injuries to her head and body and was soon thereafter pronounced deceased at the scene. The two younger were quickly treated by emergency medical personnel but showed no signs of life. They were taken to Southern Ohio Medical Center and soon thereafter also were pronounced deceased.
Smith’s girlfriend remained unresponsive, albeit with faint signs of life. She was also taken via emergency medical transport to Southern Ohio Medical Center, where her vital signs began plummeting. After being stabilized by hospital personnel, she was taken via medical helicopter to Grant Medical Center in Columbus. She passed away several days later from a variety of blunt force injuries to her body and head.
A large-scale investigation by the Ohio Highway Patrol was immediately commenced. Search warrants were obtained for Smith’s blood, urine, vehicle and cellular phone. Expert crash reconstruction and drug recognition troopers provided key insight into Smith and the vehicle he was driving.
It was discovered that Smith had allegedly deliberately disconnected one of the brake lines of the vehicle and was allegedly regularly using the parking/emergency brake to try and slow the Cavalier. This brake line was allegedly “crimped” off to try and prevent fluid from leaking. Four empty or nearly empty bottles of brake fluid were allegedly discovered during the investigation. The Cavalier was allegedly also a ‘salvage’ under Ohio law which had not been properly inspected.
Smith admitted and investigation confirmed that he had never had a driver’s license in Ohio or any other state. The tires on Smith’s vehicle were allegedly nearly bald and had signs of dry rot. Only one of the children was determined to have been put in a car seat at the time of the collision.
Smith further admitted to “snorting” painkillers prior to the collision and to smoking from a THC vape pen found on his person Blood and urine analysis confirmed the presence of THC (marijuana), hydrocodone and oxycodone in Smith’s system. Smith was in possession of almost 100 illegal Vicodin and Percocet pills at the time of the collision.
In addition to abusing these pills, Smith admitted that he was selling them for profit. Cell phone analysis uncovered numerous messages confirming Smith’s involvement in significant drug trafficking in the days, weeks and months leading up to the fatal collision. Despite the violent impact of the collision, Smith was able to walk away with only minor injuries.
The State of Ohio presented 21 witness prior to resting its case on the third day of trial. No witnesses were presented for the defense.
Smith’s defense counsel admitted during closing arguments that his conduct was reckless but disputed that it rose to the level of “knowingly” required for felonious assault and murder under Ohio law. The prosecution contended that based on the totality of Smith’s actions and the evidence of his knowledge that the results which occurred were foreseeable and probable, therefore rising to the level of felony murder in Ohio.
Judge Kuhn agreed, finding Smith guilty of all four counts of murder (as a result of felonious assault) along with 33 other counts. He was found not guilty on only three lower-level felonies and two misdemeanor counts.
Judge Kuhn then imposed four consecutive 15 year-life imprisonment sentences on Smith, ordering that each run consecutive to one another for a total sentence of 60 years to life. All other charges were ordered to run concurrently. The end result is that Smith will be 82-years-old before he is eligible to file for parole under Ohio law.
Scioto County Prosecutor Shane Tieman notes that his office dedicated countless hours to researching and reviewing the facts of the case and prior legal decisions to determine the appropriate charges under the law. His office found that a prosecution for murder against a driver where there was not specific intent to cause harm was very rare, but not unheard of.
Tieman said, “This was not a situation where my office was determined to convict Mr. Smith of murder based on the emotional and tragic nature of the case. We did not set out to make an example out of him. This prosecution was based on careful review of all the necessary legal authority combined with the evidence of Mr. Smith’s voluntary, horrendous conduct which resulted in the inevitable death and destruction which occurred.”
Mr. Tieman and the Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office extends its deepest thanks to the local Ohio State Highway Patrol and all of the local first responding agencies for their work in this matter.
“I have long believed that we have many of the best troopers and first responders in the State in our county, and what I saw in this case continues to confirm my belief,” Tieman said. “These men and women did all they could to save the victims in this case and to help bring Mr. Smith to justice for his crimes. We often see that the in the very worst of times we see the very best in people, and that has never been truer than what we saw in this case.”
Mr. Tieman concluded by stating that, “This case has had a devastating impact on the victims’ families and their loved ones. Additionally, it has had a deep and profound effect on each and every citizen, trooper, firefighter, and medic who had the unfortunate task of assisting and witnessing the gruesome aftermath of this horrific crash. My office and I hope that this verdict and sentence will grant some measure of solace to these individuals as they continue to mourn and grieve the loss of the victims in this case.”