Jailhouse crime adds charge

PALMER — A man whose first trial for the attempted murder ended in a hung jury now faces an additional charge for calling the victim from jail.

Jamie R. Smith, 19, whose trial ended June 11 in a hung verdict, called from jail, on June 25, the woman he’s accused of attempting to kill, according to an affidavit filed in superior court. Smith faces charges of first-degree assault, attempted murder and evidence tampering following an incident in May 2013 when he beat the alleged victim severely with a bottle and his hands during a campfire, authorities said. Smith, 17 years old at the time of his arrest, was charged into adult court in June 2013.

Smith appeared nonchalant during the call, the victim told Alaska State Trooper Ronald Hayes, according to an affidavit filed in Superior Court June 26.

The victim “recognized the caller as her ex-boyfriend, Jamie Smith,” Hayes wrote. “Smith asked (the victim) how things were going and how she was doing. (The victim) thought this was highly inappropriate and asked Smith if he was supposed to be calling her. Smith stated that he could call her but he couldn’t talk to her about the ongoing court case with them.”

The call lasted five minutes, Hayes wrote.

The victim testified during the original trial that she suffered from a traumatic brain injury as a result of the beating. Authorities said at the time of the original incident the victim underwent surgery at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage for extensive injuries sustained that night.

The night of the beating, the victim had been drinking, and showed up to the campfire with some friends. After a while, the victim left and went off into surrounding woods. Smith and three friends went into the woods looking for her, and the friends eventually returned to the fire without Smith, according to court documents.

A sober friend became concerned and went into the woods in search of them both, and found Smith and the victim together apparently acting normally.

About 30 minutes later, Smith returned covered in blood and told people at the fire that the victim was hurt, according to a summary of the accounts filed by a witness for the defense, University of Washington psychology professor Geoffrey Loftus.

“Mr. Smith had been acting obnoxiously in several ways during the party, and a rumor quickly spread that he had been” the assailant, Loftus wrote. “Apparently in response to this rumor, several people started beating up Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith tried to escape in a car with friends and was detained by,” Alaska State Troopers.

The victim testified she could not remember who had assaulted her, though later testified she could remember the assault. Loftus, an expert on memory formation, was expected to testify how the memory could change.

Photos displayed during the original trial showed Smith covered in blood splatters shortly after his arrest.

A second trial was expected to begin in September, said prosecutor Lindsey Burton.