Palmer man convicted of attempted murder

WASILLA — A jury has convicted a 20-year-old Palmer man of attempted murder and first-degree assault, a prosecutor in the case said.

Jamie R. Smith, 20, was 17 when he attacked and seriously injured his girlfriend at the time, Savannah Simpson, during a bonfire at a popular party spot called “Green Gate” in Houston in May 2013. Smith faces a presumptive sentencing range of between 7 and 11 years for the assault charge and between five and 99 years for the attempted murder charge, according to prosecuting attorney Lindsey Burton.

A trial in June 2015 ended with a hung jury after about a week of deliberations. Jurors deliberated for about three days before rendering a guilty verdict Thursday morning.

Burton said the conviction was a tribute to law enforcement and state crime lab employees, as well as the medical professionals that saved Simpson’s life.

“The outcome in this case is also a fruition of the Palmer DAO (District Attorney’s Office) policy that we aren’t going to give up on the really sever cases,” she wrote in an e-mail to the Frontiersman. “Even in this time of more limited resources, the cases with significant injuries and serious conduct are always going to be worth our time and energy, and worth seeing through to the end.”

Defense attorney Windy Hannaman declined to comment, citing public defender’s office policy not to comment on open cases.

Sentencing in the case has been set for June 13.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.