CHEYENNE – Two days shy of the 10th anniversary of The Coin Shop murders in downtown Cheyenne, a 12-person jury found Douglas Smith guilty Friday of two counts of first-degree murder.
After a weeklong trial and approximately seven hours of deliberation, Smith was found guilty of killing both 67-year-old Dwight Brockman, owner of The Coin Shop, and Brockman’s friend, 76-year-old George “Doc” Manley, during the Cheyenne Frontier Days Pancake Breakfast in 2015.
Four days of testimony recounted years worth of detective work and newfound evidence that conflicted with Smith’s statements made to police through the years.
After taking a brief break in deliberations on Friday to revisit Smith’s initial call to 911 reporting the incident, as well as a police interview with Smith that followed later that morning, the jury found Smith guilty on both counts.
Jurors did not make statements regarding what pieces of evidence or testimony were deciding factors in the case.
Family members of the victims and people in the gallery remained quiet throughout the proceedings, though several observers were brought to tears as the verdict was read.
The families of the victims told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle they were not ready to speak with the media following the verdict.
The incident
On July 20, 2015, during the Pancake Breakfast, Brockman and Manley were shot and killed inside The Coin Shop on West Lincolnway.
According to phone records, Brockman was alive at 9:26 a.m. Smith, allegedly going to the shop to drop off reading material to a friend, arrived at the shop at 9:27 a.m.
He called 911 at 9:33 a.m., telling dispatch that an armed robbery was in progress.
“There’s a robbery here at The Coin Shop here on Lincolnway,” Smith said in the 911 call. “My friend ‘Doc’ was shot, and some guy pointed a gun at me.”
Once police arrived, Smith left the scene to go to Mead Lumber. Smith was a carpenter who worked at the business. While there, he spoke with a friend, then went to use the restroom before returning to the police for questioning.
The case was investigated by a few different detectives over the years, only really gaining traction again when Cheyenne Police Detective James Pendleton revisited Smith as a suspect.
Nine years after the incident, Smith was arrested on June 25, 2024, in California.
What’s next?
Smith remained in custody for a year before trial. Though his bond for appearance before the court has expired, he was remanded to the custody of the sheriff pending sentencing at a later date, according to Laramie County District Court Judge Catherine Rogers.
The date of sentencing will depend on whether Smith wants to expedite his sentencing or would prefer to wait the three months that it typically takes the Wyoming Department of Corrections to produce a pre-sentence investigation report.
Both charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Before the trial, the state agreed not to seek the death penalty if Smith were convicted.
Smith has 30 days to appeal the verdict after sentencing takes place.