Suspect in Randolph murder waives preliminary hearing

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The man accused of murdering Alexa Randolph, Gary Smith, 60, of Morgantown, has waived his right to a preliminary hearing and will be held pending a grand jury review of the case.

On Thursday, January 28 Randolph, 32, was reported missing when she failed to pick up her child. About 24-hours later she was found dead in the cargo area of her Ford Escape parked in the Hornbeck Road Walmart.

Smith, the paternal grandfather of Randolph’s child, was arrested and charged with first degree murder on February 10 and has been in custody since.