AND SO IT BEGINS: Lawyer defends his client, says he 'snapped like Will Smith' in Roanoke double murder case
Will Smith's Oscar slap was utilized as a defense in a Roanoke double murder case, as counsel suggested that the alleged killer, like the actor, "snapped" and behaved in the heat of the moment when he hit Chris Rock in Oscar’s. During closing arguments, attorney Dirk Padgett told jurors that William Reno Ray was on trial for two charges of first-degree murder.
William was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his fiancée's mother and the mother's boyfriend in March 2020. A jury in Roanoke Circuit Court heard testimony on Monday, closing arguments on Tuesday morning, and then debated for roughly two hours before convicting Ray. “Things you wouldn’t ordinarily do you do — like Will Smith,” Padgett told jurors, The Roanoke Times reported.“I bet he wishes he could take back,” he said of Smith. “But he can’t. You can’t unbreak a stick.
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Padgett said in court that his 25-year-old client lost his temper when he stabbed and killed Eric Surface, 44, and then drowned April Barnicoat, 42, in her bathtub.
The attorney also threw in some Teddy Roosevelt for the jury, quoting the former president and Rough Rider's depiction of being in the thick of combat.
“When the wolf rises in the heart, it is hardest to calm down,” he said.
The defense approach failed, as the jury convicted Ray on both charges in two hours, according to The Roanoke Times.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney John McNeil responded with the well-worn legal adage that a lawyer can argue the law or the facts, or if neither is on the attorney's side, he or she can just argue louder.
Ray did not testify, and the defense presented no evidence. The prosecution's witnesses were largely police officers who discovered April Barnicoat, 42, and Eric Surface, 44, dead in Barnicoat's apartment at the Jamestown Place complex in Southeast Roanoke on March 1, 2020.
The crux of Ray's evidence was a video showing him making a lengthy statement after stepping into the Roanoke Police Department on July 31, 2020, and claiming he wanted to talk with the officers.
More than an hour of the police interrogation was seen by jurors and several dozen friends and family of both Ray and his victims from the spectator benches on Monday. Ray said in it that he fatally stabbed and slashed Surface.
Ray said that he and Surface had not gotten along since Ray and his girlfriend, Barnicoat's daughter, shared a Jamestown Place apartment with Barnicoat two years before.
Ray stated that there were still unresolved issues between Barnicoat and her daughter and that he had gone over to attempt to make up. Instead, Ray and Surface began yelling at each other, then pushing and punching each other, he claimed. Ray eventually took out a folding knife, according to authorities.
A medical examiner testified that Surface had 20 wounds from a sharp object, including a cut or series of slashes that opened up the left side of his neck. Ray allegedly told investigators that after murdering Surface, he bound Barnicoat with duct tape, placed a pillowcase over her head, and stayed with her in her apartment for almost an hour. Ray then claimed that he drowned Barnicoat in her bathtub.
Ray informed authorities that he did this because Barnicoat saw Surface's murder. However, in his taped interview, Ray stated that his actions had weighed on him to the point that he couldn't look his girlfriend in the eyes, and that he now wanted to speak the truth. Ray's remarks, according to McNeil, were sufficient to convict him of two charges of first-degree murder.
Padgett argued that his client should be found guilty of one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of second-degree murder because neither killing was planned and Surface's fatal wounds were sustained during a struggle in which Ray felt threatened.
Immediately following the deaths, Ray complained of being kidnapped by guys in a van who inquired about another of Barnicoat's daughters or Surface.
Ray's sentence would be determined by the number of years he served in jail. The maximum sentence for first-degree murder is life in prison. Second-degree murder has a maximum punishment of 40 years in prison, whereas voluntary manslaughter carries a maximum term of 10 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced on an undetermined date.