COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man police say beat his grandmother to death remains in jail, facing murder charges.
Bond for Jeffrey Smith, 35, was set yesterday at $500,000 after he pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in connection with the death of Doris Durette.
Officers found Durette, 77, after Smith called a dispatcher Sunday night saying the woman had fallen the night before, “cracked her head pretty good” and wasn’t breathing at the moment.
Court records show Durette died from blunt-force trauma inside the Rosepoint Road home the two shared
The “Columbus Dispatch” reports that Smith’s estranged wife had called police asking for an officer to check on Durette hours before she was found.
Cassidy Smith told a dispatcher she believed Durette and her grandson were fighting over an incident involving Timothy Smith’s daughter.
Timothy Smith’s attorney was not available for comment.