The man accused of killing his grandson’s mother waived his preliminary hearing in Monongalia County Magistrate Court on Friday.
Gary Smith II, 60, of Morgantown, is charged with first-degree murder. He is accused of killing Alexa Randolph, 32. Smith appeared by video from North Central Regional Jail, where is he being held without bond. Technical issues delayed the hearing by about 15 minutes and ultimately required the use of a different courtroom.
Preliminary hearings must be held within 10 days of an arrest. They offer an opportunity for the state to present evidence against a defendant before a magistrate, who then determines if there is probable cause to move the case to a grand jury.
Typically, preliminary hearings also offer an opportunity for those who have not yet posted bail and are still being held in jail to ask for a reduction. However, in cases where a possible sentence for an alleged crime is life in prison, magistrates cannot set bond as they can with other crimes. Bond must be set by a circuit court judge.
Smith’s court-appointed attorney Chris Wilson told The Dominion Post a bond reduction hearing has not been scheduled as of Friday. Smith was arrested on Feb. 10 by the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Perry Palmer said Smith was cooperative. Randolph was last seen Jan. 28 outside her apartment on Overdale Street, in Greenmont. She was reported missing that night.
On Jan. 29, the Morgantown Police Department requested help in locating her and that evening she was found dead in her car, which was parked at a shopping center off Grafton Road.
Police believe Randolph was killed in the garage area of Smith’s home and said Smith made statements that implicated himself in her murder.
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