A Douglas County man has been found guilty on multiple charges related to a violent outburst directed at multiple members of the family with whom he was living, officials announced Wednesday.
Selworth Smith, 39, was convicted of aggravated assault and simple battery, according to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.
The charges stem from an incident Nov. 1, 2018, at the home of Mark Murdock and Tabitha Williams-Murdock, the announcement said. According to the DA’s office, Smith “was a suspected drug user and it is suspected that he was under the influence” the day of the incident. Douglas officials did not provide other details about the circumstances leading up to Smith’s outburst.
Smith became agitated before eventually hitting Williams-Murdock with a small speaker, the announcement said. Williams-Murdock and her teenage son evaded Smith and were able to barricade themselves inside a bedroom. Smith then picked up a wooden two-by-four board and hit Murdock in the head with it, knocking him unconscious and seriously injuring him.
While Murdock lay unconscious, Smith banged on the door to the bedroom where Williams-Murdock and her son were barricaded. Williams-Murdock called 911, causing Smith to flee the house before sheriff’s deputies arrived.
Murdock, who was still unconscious when deputies responded, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he received 17 stitches, the DA’s office said.
Williams-Murdock told investigators about a similar incident with Smith in the past, after which she returned home and found that Smith had come back to the house as well. Deputies took her home and found Smith there, hiding under a blanket, and took him into custody.
“This was a violent attack upon the Murdocks, totally unprovoked and terrifying for everyone involved, especially the Murdocks’ child,” Douglas District Attorney Dalia Racine said.
Smith is facing a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison. His trial was among the first jury trials held in Douglas following the statewide court shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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