science and innovation | January 01, 2026

Donald Smith Death And Obituary: How Did Cherish Perrywinkle Murderer Die?

Donald Smith, a convicted murderer, was sentenced to death after a long rap sheet and the murder of 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle in 2013. 

After a sequence of events that occurred when Smith encountered Cherish Perrywinkle’s mother, Rayne Perrywinkle, in a Dollar General shop, Smith was charged with her murder.

Similarly, Rayne was promised by Smith that he would take her and her daughter’s shopping at Walmart. And that’s the point when such a horrific incident took place.

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Obituary: Who Was Donald Smith Florida?

Donald Smith, a man from Florida, was accused of abduction, sexual assault, and murdering an 8-year-old girl Cherish Perrywinkle was finally sentenced to death, as per reports.

Back in 2013, the police were quick to recognize Smith as a kidnapper, with his van being one of the major targets.

The officials noticed his van on the freeway about 9 a.m. the next day when Cherish’s body was discovered and surrounded him before he succumbed and was detained.

Reportedly, Smith was a local sex offender with an extensive criminal past that included multiple acts against juveniles. He’d barely been out of jail for three weeks when Cherish was murdered.

Donald Smith: Cherish Perrywinkle Murderer

Cherish Perrywinkle, an 8-year-old child from Jacksonville, Florida, was kidnapped on June 21, 2013, from a supermarket.

On surveillance cameras, she was shown leaving the store with David James Smith, who was eventually acquitted of her murder and condemned to death.

Rayne (Cherish’s mother) phoned the police about a half-hour later to report her daughter had been kidnapped, and an emergency alert was activated five hours later.

Moreover, Cherish’s body was discovered in a creek beneath Highland’s Baptist Church the next morning. Similarly, Smith was suspected of tying her in the back of his truck, sexually assaulting her, and strangling her to death.

Details On Donald Smith Death Cause

As per the reports, Donald Smith was sentenced to death after a history of juvenile rape and murder of the 8-year-old girl Cherish Perrywinkle.

Smith’s trial started in the year 2018 and was found guilty of first-degree murder, abduction of a child murder under the age of 13, and aggravated sexual assault on a child under the age of 12 years old.

In contrast to the death penalty for the murder, he was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and sexual battery.

Donald Smith Age: How Old Was He?

Donald Smith was at the age of 65 years when he was sentenced to death. Similarly, he was born on September 4, 1956, and hailed from Jacksonville, Florida.

Besides this, nothing, in general, about his personal details, is available at the time of composing this article.