JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The trial for a man accused of raping and killing an 8-year-old Jacksonville girl is set to begin the week of May 12.
A trial date was set for 57-year-old Donald Smith at a hearing Tuesday. The convicted sex offender has been charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual battery.
The Florida Times-Union reports that Cherish Perrywinkle was lured away from her mother in June with promises of buying her clothes with a gift card at Walmart. She was found the next morning dumped in a wooded area near a church.
Smith had a lengthy rap sheet of convictions for sex crimes against children and had gotten out of prison less than a month before Perrywinkle was killed.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
WFTV
