Man hits parents with golf club ‘multiple times,’ killing mom, Alabama cops say
An Alabama man is accused of striking his parents with a golf club “multiple times,” killing his mother and injuring his father, deputies said.
Deputies responded to the attack at about 11 p.m. June 14 at a home in Fairhope where the man — identified as 38-year-old Ryan Thomas Smith — lived with his parents, according to Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office news releases.
At the home, Smith’s parents were found “suffering from serious physical injuries” and were flown to a hospital in Florida, deputies said.
Smith’s mom, 67-year-old Nanette Smith, died at the hospital, deputies said. His father has been released from the hospital as of June 24 and is recovering, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office told McClatchy News.
According to deputies, Ryan Thomas Smith had left the home in a car before they arrived. He was stopped and arrested on an interstate in Escambia County, deputies said.
Preliminary autopsy results ruled Nanette Smith’s death a homicide due to “blunt force trauma,” according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
Ryan Thomas Smith is charged with murder and attempt murder, deputies said.
“This is a horrible tragedy within that family, and I feel for everybody in that family,” said Baldwin County Assistant District Attorney Patrick Doggett, according to WKRG. “We all want to know why, and that’s what we are trying to find out now.”
Fairhope is about a 20-mile drive southeast from Mobile.
