Ridgecrest Daily Independent
A jury trial date in June has been set for a 59-year-old Ridgecrest man accused of first-degree murder and arson.
George Richard Smith pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge, along with arson and reckless evasion of a police officer. He entered the plea on July 2, 2020.
Smith admitted to killing his wife to Ridgecrest Police Officer Joe Roque, who recorded the conversation according to the Ridgecrest Police Department charging statement.
“My wife of 36 years, I killed her,” George Smith said in a “spontaneous statement”, according to the documents. “I just wanna [expletive] die, I don’t wanna deal right now.”
Ridgecrest man accused of murder, arson to be arraigned Feb. 16
An arraignment date has been set for a 59-year-old Ridgecrest man accused of first-degree murder and arson.
After preliminary hearings on Jan. 26 and Feb. 2, George Smith will face three felony charges on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
He was arrested on June 30 for the murder of 54-year-old Vickie Lynne Ryno Smith, who was found dead inside of a burning house at around 10 a.m. the same morning.
According to court documents, Smith confessed to the killing to Kern County Sheriff s Deputies. He said that he felt like he was “in a bad dream waiting to wake up,” as well as “[m]y wife of 36 years, I killed her.”
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