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By Icy
#233317
Sunday, February 24, 2008

Posted on Thu, Feb 21, 2008 Zoom + | Zoom -
Lawyer asks judge to toss gag order in murder case
By Marlene DiGiacomo, mdigiacomo@delcotimes.com

F. Bruce Covington, who police say was in Bill Smithson's home the night of Jason Shephard's murder, is facing drug charges in a separate case.MEDIA COURTHOUSE — A defense attorney for an accused killer facing charges he drugged and strangled a male intern went to court Thursday asking that a gag order be tossed so he can dig for information about another man — who has admitted being in the home that night.

The other man was also recently arrested in a case that bears an “eerie similarity” to the murder, the attorney contends.

Media lawyer G. Guy Smith represents William Smithson, 43, of Thornbury, who is accused in the killing of Jason Shephard, 23, an intern from South Dakota. Shephard was visiting in the county and working for the same firm as Smithson at the time of the Sept 21, 2006, killing.

For the past year, Smith has filed numerous petitions in an effort to question F. Bruce Covington, 57, of Narberth, about his presence in the house that night, as well as his providing drugs, including crystal methamphetamine and gamma hydroxybutyrate, which authorities say were used to drug Shephard.

Covington, 57, a former administrator at Saint Joseph’s University who also holds a law degree, was arrested last week after a 27-year-old man said he was drugged and raped. Crystal meth and suspected gamma hydroxybutyrate were found at Covington’s Narberth home, according to authorities.

He only faces drug charges in that case; no sexual-assault charges have been filed.

“The facts of this new case in Narberth are virtually identical to the facts alleged in the case against William Smithson and identical to the allegations made by William Smithson against F. Bruce Covington regarding the death of Jason Shephard,” wrote Smith in his court petition.

Smith also referred to a police report that the 27-year-old man allegedly victimized by Covington has been hospitalized because of the trauma suffered in the attack.

“A young man is confined to a mental hospital, victimized by this same gag order, which directly allowed F. Bruce Covington to remain outside the law and enabled F. Bruce Covington to brutally assault and rape him,” wrote Smith.

In light of Covington’s arrest, Smith is seeking to have Judge Barry Dozor remove the gag order, which the attorney maintains will help him obtain information about Covington that could aid Smithson’s case.

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Gag orders, which prohibit anybody connected with the case including attorneys from making out-of-court comments, are usually set down to protect a defendant’s rights. However, Smith contends this gag order is hurting his client’s case.

“The defendant has already suffered the loss of many months of investigatory time, trapped by a useless and highly restrictive gag order, which was not even requested by the defense or the commonwealth,” he said in his motion.”

No date has yet been set by Dozor to hear the motion.

“While the gag order is in place, the defendant has no legal recourse available to him right now to force F. Bruce Covington to testify because the district attorney has advised the defendant that the commonwealth will not grant (Covington) immunity (from prosecution in Shephard’s killing) … nor will it file criminal charges against him,” said Smith in his motion.

Smithson is facing the possibility of a death sentence if he is convicted of the most serious charge of first-degree murder. Shephard’s naked body was found wrapped in sheets in Smithson’s Tanguy Road home.

Covington, in a statement to police, admitted being at the house on the night of the killing, but said he was asleep in the basement and heard nothing.

In that same statement, Covington described himself as bisexual and said he was a frequent visitor at Smithson’s home for “sex parties.” He said illegal drugs were “typically present.”

Smith maintains that while the gag order is in effect, “(Smithson) is denied due process because he is not able to actively seek information about F. Bruce Covington from the press or from other persons, which information is vital to (Smithson’s) defense of these charges.”

Smith was unsuccessful in an earlier attempt to have the gag order tossed. At that time, Smith said he wanted to offer a reward and advertise seeking information about Covington.

In his latest petition, Smith charges the gag order has a “chilling effect” on Smithson’s ability to defend himself.

“The potential for harm in removing the gag order is far outweighed by the actual harm presently being done to the defendant by the existence of the order. We now have proof that there is a pattern of repetitive, identical criminal activity on the part of F. Bruce Covington,” stated Smith.

Times Staff Writer Cindy Scharr contributed to his article.

















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User avatar
By Icy
#233319
Potential witness to '06 murder is arrested after Narberth search

The Associated Press

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - A former administrator at Saint Joseph's University and a potential witness in a 2006 killing was jailed in Montgomery County on drug charges.

Detectives investigating allegations of a sexual assault found drugs last week in the Narberth apartment of F. Bruce Covington.

Covington, who was being held Thursday on $500,000 bail, is a possible witness in the 2006 murder of a college intern in a Delaware County home.

In the recent sexual assault case, a 27-year-old man told detectives that a man named Bruce gave him drugs and assisted with an injection.

Investigating the Feb. 8 assault, Narberth police searched Covington's apartment on Feb. 12 and found about 3 to 4 grams of suspected crack cocaine, 3 to 4 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to a police affidavit. Authorities then filed more than 100 drug-related counts against Covington.

Covington, 57, has admitted he was inside a house in Glen Mills in September 2006 around the time Jason Shephard, a 23-year-old intern from North Dakota, was allegedly drugged and killed.

Covington has not been charged in Shephard's death. He has told police he was asleep in the basement at the time Shephard died.

The homeowner, William Smithson, is awaiting trial on a first-degree murder charge in which he faces the possibility of being sentenced to death.

Smithson's attorney says Covington supplied methamphetamines and GHB to Smithson and Shephard, and injected his client in the hours before Shephard died.

Authorities believe Smithson slipped Shephard a date-rape drug and then strangled Shephard when he rejected Smithson's sexual advances.

Shephard was a college student and track athlete from Cavalier, N.D., who was in suburban Philadelphia on a short business trip with Daktronics Inc., a South Dakota-based company that makes stadium scoreboards. Smithson was a local manager for the company.

There is a gag order in effect barring Smithson's attorney G. Guy Smith, Covington's attorney Steve Leach and Assistant District Attorney Thomas Lawrie, as well as anybody else connected with the Smithson case, from making any out-of-court comments.

A Saint Joseph's spokeswoman says Covington, who did fundraising, no longer works there.
User avatar
By Icy
#233322
Friday, February 22, 2008
The bizarre case of F. Bruce Covington
Back in September 2006, a 23-year-old intern turned up dead in a home in Thornbury. The body of Jason Shephard was found wrapped in a sheet in the basement. He had been drugged and strangled.

The owner of the home, William Smithson, was charged with first-degree murder. Police believe he strangled Shephard, who had arrived here from North Dakota on business just a few days earlier, after the intern rejected his sexual advances.

(Full disclosure here: I know Smithson. He used to work here at the newspaper.)

But Smithson and Shephard were not alone in the home that night. Court documents indicate F. Bruce Covington, a former administrator at Saint Joseph’s University, also was in the house. Smithson’s lawyer sought immunity for Covington so he could testify on his client’s behalf.

The defense alleges Covington is the person who injected drugs into Smithson and also supplied GHB to both the defendant and the victim. GHB is known as the date-rape drug. Covington says he was asleep and did not hear anything.

Covington has not been charged in connection with the Shephard murder.

Last week, police in Narberth started investigating a claim of sexual assault by a 27-year-old man. Their investigation led them to Covington’s apartment.

The 57-year-old Covington now faces a long list of drug charges because of what police found inside, including suspected crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and crack cocaine. They also found suspected GHB.

Covington faces more than 100 drug charges.

He has not been charged with any sex offenses in connection with the man’s claims of assault.

The 27-year-old has been hospitalized “because of the severe trauma of his rape,” according to a police affidavit.

The circumstances are eerily similar to what police believe happened on the night Shephard died. In this latest instance, the victim told police he was drugged and assaulted. He says he is now “terrified of these males” and named a “Bruce” in particular.

Here’s my question and what I’ve been thinking about since we first uncovered this case last weekend. What else happened in those 18 months?

On Thursday Smithson’s lawyer filed a new motion in Delaware County Court seeking to have a gag order in the case lifted so he can talk to Covington about what happened on that deadly night in Thornbury.

It seems we still have much to learn about the bizarre case of F. Bruce Covington.
posted by Heron's Nest at 7:17 AM

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User avatar
By Icy
#279210
Smithson guilty of first-degree murder




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Friday, November 21, 2008 3:32 PM EST
By Gil Spencer, Times Columnist
Bill Smithson has been found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted rape, kidnapping, abuse of corpse and other related charges in the death of 23-year-old Jason Shephard.

There was a gasp from Smithson's family and friends when the verdict to the Murder One charge was read by the jury foreman.

Smithson showed no emotion and stared straight ahead as each of the charges was read and verdicts were announced.

GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY.

As the verdict sunk in, more and more of Smithson's friends and family began to sob.

On the other side of the aisle, Kyle and Carol Shephard, Jason's parents, hugged each other and wept quietly.

Smithson now faces a death penalty hearing, which will begin Monday.

A gag order is still in effect that prevents anyone involved in the case from speaking to the press. That includes family members, witnesses, lawyers and law enforcement.