A desperate manhunt in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, came to a tragic end on April 8, 1950, when the body of 30-year-old Len Broughton Smithey, a war veteran, was discovered slumped against a pine tree with a single bullet wound in the head. The grim discovery ended a statewide search for Smithey, accused of murdering his University of North Carolina schoolmate, George Lemuel Bennett Jr., 22, on April 7, 1950, in Wadesboro, North Carolina. The two had shared a room in an off-campus rooming house in Chapel Hill.
According to police, Smithey, a veteran of the South Pacific, had apparently taken his own life while under investigation for the brutal murder of his former roommate. The motive behind the crime remains unclear, but it’s believed that the two men had been acquaintances since their time at the University of North Carolina.
Naomi Smithey, Smithey’s mother, had previously denied reports that she had convinced her son to enter a mental institution following a three-day observation at a veterans hospital in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in March 1949. The hospital had reportedly found nothing wrong with Smithey at the time.
The tragic events in Chapel Hill have sent shockwaves through the small college town, where students and faculty are still reeling from the news of Smithey’s death. As investigators continue to piece together the events surrounding Bennett’s murder, questions remain about the motivations behind Smithey’s alleged actions.
As the investigation unfolds, one thing is clear: the life of Len Broughton Smithey, a young man with a promising future, was cut tragically short. His death serves as a poignant reminder of the devastating consequences of violence and the importance of addressing mental health issues.
The Chapel Hill Police Department is still seeking answers in the Bennett murder case, and the community continues to mourn the loss of two young lives cut short by senseless violence.
Related Federal Cases
- Gary Lee Sampson, Cross-State Murder Spree, Massachusetts 2001 · Washington
- Seth Willis Pickering, Daughter’s First-Degree Murder, NC 2016 · New Mexico
- Business Owner Kidnapping and Murder, Pennsylvania 2018 · Pennsylvania
- Byron Booker, Premeditated Stabbing Murder, GA 2023 · North Carolina
- Collin Potter, Second-Degree Murder, District of Columbia 2019 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Violent Crime
- Era: Historical
- Source: Library of Congress — Chronicling America ↗
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