On May 17, a man, Tevin Terrell Semien, 29, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in the death of Karon “Dinkers” Conneywerdy Smith, 68. The body of Smith was found in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. Prosecutors revealed that the guilty plea included Semien’s admission to deliberately and intentionally killing Smith, while co-defendant Nicole Leigh Logsdon, 24, had earlier pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder. Semien could face life imprisonment, while Logsdon faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
Following the grim discovery in the Wildlife Refuge, authorities found that Smith had likely sustained bludgeon wounds to her face and head. In the subsequent days, an investigation was conducted in Lawton, Oklahoma, where blood indicative of a violent altercation was discovered in Smith’s home.
Additionally, Smith’s vehicle was reported missing. Law enforcement later spotted the vehicle with Semien and Logsdon south of Dallas, Texas. Upon attempting a traffic stop, the pair evaded authorities in a high-speed pursuit that ultimately culminated in a crash.
Following the arrest of Semien and Logsdon, an interview with authorities revealed that Semien initially denied any involvement in the death. However, he subsequently confessed to killing Smith, indicating that Logsdon, who was his girlfriend and a relative of the victim, had asked him to carry out the killing due to her animosity towards Smith. In his admission, Semien disclosed that despite initial uncertainty about Logsdon’s seriousness, he ultimately agreed to the deadly deed. This tragic sequence of events concluded on June 9, 2023, with a candlelight vigil held to commemorate the life of Karon “Dinkers” Conneywerdy Smith.