Page 38 - Kill Gavin Smith News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Stretched across two days. then, the verdict. >> we the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant john creech not guilty of the crime of first degree murder of gavin smith. >> reporter: not guilty of first degree murder! but the jury wasn't done. >> guilty of the crime of voluntary manslaughter. >> reporter: the verdict, guilty of voluntary manslaughter. in other words, they believed john creech killed gavin smith in a moment of blind passion. >> i was devastated by the verdict. i am still devastated by the verdict because he did absolutely plan on murdering my husband and thought a...

Mistake. but it wasn't the last of the sightings. people seem to see gavin smith everywhere. >> because he kind of stand out in the photo, big white smile, tan face, tall guy, pretty much every tall, tan, blond haired man was getting responsibilitied as being gavin smith. >> reporter: weeks, months passed. no sign of gavin. there was no answers. lisa was forced to reveal something publicly. something painful. and maybe crucial. . coming up, what had happened to gavin smith? >> it didn't make sense to me. >> we said, i think this is a suicide. then we go, i this i this is a murder. our gut in...

Lisa smith knew instantly, something must be wrong. her husband gavin was a dedicated father. >> nothing would keep him from his kids ever. >> reporter: because gavin was so good at these things, his sister, he was so impressive, so tall. he broke out the tall gene? >> we did. >> reporter: whole family in. >> whom family. >> reporter: gavin was the tallest, 6' 6. >> he walked in the room, you wanted to gravitate to him. he was like a magnet. >> reporter: he played at ucla 1975, he was a forward. it was the final championship team. >> just to be on that team was pretty fantastic. it was a once ...

Partner john o'brien. >> his phone was missing. there was no use of it. we checked his bank accounts from the time he was missing. we checked his medical insurance to see if he check into a hospital. >> that never showed any activity. he was completely dropped you've the face of the earth. >> reporter: but then, out of nowhere, a sighting. hundreds of miles north of los angeles, a businessman visiting the central coast says he saw gavin smith and a beautiful woman at a cash only theco restaurant in morro bay. >> i happened to click on the living and saw the photo and said, oh boy. >> reporter:...

On the face of it, it looked like a solid case the phone evidence, the cover up the truly appalling crime scene in gavin's car. but did it add up to first degree murder? gavin smith had been dead five years. >> he was killed in his mercedes benz in an act of almost stunning brutality by the defendant john creech who is sitting here in the courtroom. this game became gavin smith's tomb. >> reporter: what happened wasn't merely an outburst of rage, said the prosecutor, no, creech had been plotting for two years, ever since he found out about chandy and gavin. ever since that day in december, 201...