A judge heard two different descriptions of a road rage driver in Chula Vista Monday who was convicted of fatally stabbing another driver before he was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison.
A bishop and a pastor spoke on behalf of Rickey Vernon Smith, 61, whom a jury convicted of second-degree murder in the Nov. 27, 2018, slaying of Horace Williams, Jr. 36, a father of five from National City.
Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey said Smith stabbed Williams seven times with a knife “that he chose to strap” on his body following traffic mishaps between the two drivers. Williams was stabbed in the heart, but his attorney had argued it was self-defense.
The bloodshed occurred after the cars collided on the Willow Street Bridge which is north of Bonita Road and south of Sweetwater Road near a golf course in Chula Vista.
The ministers and Smith’s family members told Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Garry Haehnle that Smith was a good Christian who fed the homeless, provided for his family, mild mannered and was “God fearing.”
“When we heard of this tragedy, it was difficult to believe,” said Bishop George D. McKinney, of St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church of God in Christ. “It is not a manner of his character.”
McKinney said Smith was a church member for 42 years. Smith lived in the Jamacha Lomita area. Every seat was filled in the courtroom.
McKinney acknowledged “the pain and grief of the Williams family is indeed great.” Pastor Archie Robinson, of the New Birth Kingdom Covenant, told the judge “you have to know (Smith) to see his remorse.”
“Ricky is not this cold hearted murderer that people want him to look like. This is not my husband,” said Laura Smith. “Rickey Smith is a good man, a wonderful loving husband and father.”
This description of Smith didn’t sit well with Billy Dee Williams, the younger brother of the victim who sarcastically called Smith “a church guy, whatever.”
“You’re a church guy. You know better,” said Billy Williams angrily to Smith in court. “His actions speak louder than words. He knew better but he still took a life.”
“I’ll never forgive you. Only God can forgive you. I don’t want to hear your ‘sorrys’,” said Billy Williams.
The victim’s mother, Lourdes Williams, described him as “a good man, a peacekeeper, a father.” She added “I will hate him (Smith) forever!”
“I can’t believe my son is dead,” said Horace Williams, Sr. “I don’t understand (why Smith carried) the knife. I couldn’t understand why he killed my son.”
Sasha Martinez, the victim’s fiancee, said the couple had planned to marry in 2019 after being together for 10 years. She is raising their children.
“I go visit him every Sunday at his grave with fresh flowers. He was truly a good person,” said Martinez. “Horace never got a chance to defend himself.”
Martinez said she explained Williams’ death to a daughter by saying “her father was an angel in heaven.” She said she was in grief therapy, adding “I have never felt so much pain and loss.”
Attorney Bryan Watkins, who represents Smith, told the judge “a person’s life is not defined by a single moment.” He had argued at the trial that Smith killed Williams in self-defense, but a jury on Oct. 18 convicted him after 16 hours of deliberations over four days.
Smith testified at his trial that Williams had cut him off several times and threw a soft drink container which hit his pickup truck. He said Williams had made obscene gestures to him.
Haehnle said he didn’t believe Smith’s story, adding that the stabbing “over paper and a soda” was not justified. “I have yet to see any remorse on behalf of Mr. Smith,” he added.
“I don’t know where that Rickey Smith was on Nov. 27 that we all heard about, that everyone talks so highly about, but he wasn’t there that day,” said the judge. “He didn’t have to chase down Mr. Williams.”
Smith, who was wearing blue jail clothing, did not speak in court. He received credits for 441 days in jail and was fined $1,224. He had no prior record.
Watkins said after the two vehicles collided, Smith got out of his car to talk to Williams, who then punched him in the face. Williams was stabbed while sitting in his vehicle.
“On behalf of our entire family, I offer condolences to the (Williams) family,” said Laura Smith. “Both families have suffered tremendously.”
