Ohio Killer Sentenced to Life for Fort Knox Murder

A Toledo, Ohio, convicted murderer has been sentenced to a lifetime of incarceration without the possibility of parole for the 2005 murder of a woman at Fort Knox Military Base, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.

The victim, Cathy M. Barnett, had been missing since 2005, and Smith’s van broke down in Kentucky, leading him and Barnett to hitchhike and eventually walk down a service road off the main highway and into a wooded area located on the grounds of Fort Knox, in Meade County, Kentucky.

According to court documents, Smith attempted to break Barnett’s neck and then beat her on the head with a tree branch until he knew she was dead. Smith left Barnett’s body in the woods and eventually traveled to Tennessee, where he was arrested on January 21, 2005.

Smith had previously admitted to murdering James Dillingham in Toledo, Ohio, on January 3, 2005, and it is believed Barnett was present during the murder. Smith was convicted in Ohio of the Dillingham murder in March 2006 and was sentenced to 32 years of imprisonment.

In a series of recorded conversations with his former parole officer, Dan Van Vorhis, Smith confessed to the details of Barnett’s murder and identified where her remains could be found. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched and found Barnett’s remains on the grounds of Fort Knox in the wooded area identified by Smith.

Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell sentenced Smith, 49, to a lifetime of incarceration without the possibility of parole. U.S. Attorney John Kuhn stated, ‘This life sentence is a just punishment for the brutal murder Smith committed at Fort Knox, and because Smith will not ever be paroled, we have insured the public’s safety.’

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Weiser and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.