Witchcraft, Blue Moon May be Tied to Triple Homicide

A Florida triple homicide investigation making national headlines due to its gruesome, ritualistic nature may somehow be tied to the recent blue moon, according to the sheriff investigating the case.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said the triple homicide, uncovered last Friday, coincided with the blue moon, which occurs only once every three years. While the blue moon rose Friday – the same night three bodies were discovered in Pensacola – the murders are believed to have been committed July 28.

During a Tuesday press conference, Morgan referenced religious ties possibly involved in the murder. When questioned about those ties, he mentioned the blue moon and that the agency’s “person of interest is known to practice this.” When asked specifically what religion the person of interest practices, Morgan said, according to sheriff’s office transcripts from the conference, “It’s witchcraft. I’ll say that right now.”

Morgan wouldn’t elaborate on the person of interest.

The bodies of Voncile Smith, 77, and her two sons, Richard, 49, and John, 47, were discovered last week at 4605 Deerfield Drive. All three were struck numerous times with a claw hammer and had their throats slit, the sheriff’s office stated. Richard Smith also had a gunshot to his right ear.

Morgan called the crime scene “complex,” and noted that valuables inside the home, including a “sizable amount of cash” were left untouched.

As for the witchcraft ties, he added, the investigation is still preliminary. Even so, the “method of the murder, blunt force trauma, slit throats, positions of the bodies and then our person of interest has some ties to a faith or religion that is indicative of that,” according to a full transcript of the conference published on RicksBlog.

Richard Smith was employed by the Department of Homeland Security. John Smith was a student and worked for Walmart, the sheriff said. Both men, Morgan noted, were quite tall and had the potential to be “very physically powerful.” The family, he said, was reclusive.

The sheriff’s office announced Wednesday that evidence taken from inside the home is still undergoing lab analysis. No further information in the case is being released, including the name of the person of interest.