CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County teenager—scheduled to go on trial on four counts of murder next week—will now face trial at a later date.
Kanawha County Circuit Judge Kenneth Ballard agreed Wednesday to move the trial of Gavin Smith. 18, while the court awaits a report from a psychiatrist.
Smith was charged after four family members, his mother, stepfather and two younger brothers, were found dead in their Elkview area home in December 2020.
He allegedly shot and killed Daniel Dale Long, 37, Risa Mae Saunders, 39, Gage Ripley, 12, and Jameson Long, 3. Smith was 16 years old at the time of the murders. His case was moved to adult status.
Another teenager, Rebecca Lynn Walker, entered a guilty plea in September 2021 to four counts of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Smith and Walker were in a relationship at the time of the murders.
Smith is scheduled to be on court next on Nov. 9 for a pretrial hearing.