Springfield man’s murder trial begins this week

32-year-old Gregory A. Smith who was accused of fatally shooting a father of four in Springfield, Vt., nearly three years ago will head to trial later this week. Smith was born in Springfield and worked at Black River Produce at one time, according to court records.


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Smith’s criminal record includes numerous arrests for aggravated car theft, as well as arson and escape. He has seven felony convictions, as well as two dozen misdemeanor convictions stretching back to when he was a teenager. His court paperwork contains notations that as a convicted felon, he is “Brady disqualified” and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms. Reportedly, Smith tried to commit suicide in March 2012 by jumping off the Paddock Road Bridge in Springfield into the Black River. A news report at the time said Smith told Springfield police he had been using cocaine.

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Murder trial to open Friday
Nearly three years since the the murder of Springfield, Vt. resident Wesley Wing, the jury trial for his alleged killer is set to begin this week.

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Vermont Man’s Murder Trial Begins This Week courtesy Vermont State Police Gregory A. Smith By Jordan Cuddemi Valley News Staff Writer Thursday, February 01, 2018 Print Hartford VT Springfield VT White River Junction — A 32-year-old Vermont man accused of fatally shooting a father of four in Springfield, Vt., nearly three years ago will head to trial later this week. Gregory A. Smith allegedly shot and killed 37-year-old Wesley Wing near Jake’s Market on South Street in Springfield in April 2015 after Wing and Smith’s girlfriend got into a verbal altercation about her alleged drug use in the neighborhood. Smith’s girlfriend, Wendy Morris, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in the case for helping Smith evade capture after the alleged incident, and she has completed her sentence. Jury draw in Smith’s case is slated to begin this morning in Windsor Superior Court in White River Junction. His trial is scheduled to last 10 days, likely beginning on Friday and running through Feb. 15. Smith, who has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of second-degree murder, is represented by public defender Jordana Levine. Ultan Doyle, with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, will be prosecuting the case. Doyle said on Wednesday he couldn’t comment on who the state would call for witnesses. The events that led up to Smith’s charge started on April 18, 2015, when Wing was outside of his home and exchanged words with Morris. He allegedly called her a heroin addict and told her to get her drugs out of the neighborhood, according to an affidavit in the case. Wing then left his Cardinal Drive home and walked toward Jake’s Market. Smith is accused of shooting Wing four times shortly after the words were exchanged, the affidavit states. Both Morris and Smith then fled the area and led police on a five-day manhunt before authorities located them at a campground in South Londonderry, Vt. Smith has been held without bail ever since. Murder trial to open Friday | January 30, 2018 By PATRICK ADRIAN padrian@eagletimes.com Gregory Smith WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. — Nearly three years since the the murder of Springfield, Vt. resident Wesley Wing, the jury trial for his alleged killer is set to begin tis week. The trial for Gregory Smith, 32, is scheduled to open Friday in Windsor County Superior Court. Smith is facing a second-degree murder charge in the April 18, 2005 shooting death of Wing in Springfield. The trial is scheduled to run through Feb. 15. The shooting occurred around 6 p.m. on a Saturday night on South Street, near Jake’s South Street Market. Witnesses said that shortly before, Wing, 37, had a verbal altercation with Smith’s girlfiend, Wendy Morris, 25, telling her to get her drugs out of the neighborhood. According to police, after learning from Morris about the argument, Smith approached Wing while driving a black Nissan Infinity, and allegedly fired multiple shots then fled. Police found Wing at Jake’s Market, where he went to request help. He was taken to Springfield Hospital before being airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for surgery. He later died. On April 23, four days later, police found Smith in Londonderry, Vt., where he and Morris had been hiding in a camper at Winhall Brook Camping Area. Smith pleaded not guilty the following day in Windsor County Superior Court. He is being held without bail at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. Wendy Morris was and charged with felony accessory after the fact. According to an affadavit, Morris willfully aided to conceal Smith at her brother’s camping area, evading police detection when travelling to the camp and communicating with Smith via social media. While initially pleading not guilty, Morris accepted a deal a year later. In June 2016, Morris pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. Morris may likely be a key witness for the state at trial. The jury is scheduled to be selected Thursday. The state’s prosecutor is Ultan Doyle. Representing Smith is attorney Jordana Levine. Wing’s death had shook the Springfield community at the time. It was the second shooting in Springfield that year and the first fatality. The other victim was shot in his apartment in June 2014 but recovered. Wing was father to several children, several of whom were in the local school district. Two months after his death, Wing’s daughter Casey, 15, was found dead at North Springfield Dam after she apparently fell from a bridge.