By Jackie Seabolt
Enterprise Record
A murder suspect rejected a plea deal on Monday in Davie Superior Court.
Gordon Smith, 54, of Ben Anderson Road, Mocksville was arrested April 9, 2010 for the murder of his wife, Diane. Smith appeared with his attorney, Lori Hamilton, shortly after 3 p.m. in front of Judge Ted Royster in Davie Superior Court.
Smith has been at Central Regional Hospital in Butner since Oct. 2010 after it was determined he was unable to understand the nature of the proceedings due to mental illness or defect.
On Monday Assistant District Attorney Greg Brown told Royster that Smith was on medications and a doctor at Butner had concluded he was able to proceed.
Diane Smith’s body was discovered on April 2, 2010 shortly after 9 a.m. inside the bedroom of the couple’s home.
There were no signs of struggle inside the bedroom and Diane’s only visible injury was a gunshot wound to her back.
On the day of the incident Smith drove himself almost 30 miles away to Elkin’s Hugh Chatham Hospital and told hospital staff there he’d shot himself.
Smith was airlifted to Baptist ...