Husband charged in Louisa killing

A woman was shot to death Sunday night at her home on South Branch Drive in Louisa County, and her husband of 25 years has been charged with murder.

Forrest M. Smythers Jr. called his father at a Charlottesville nursing home Sunday and said he was contemplating suicide or running away because he had just shot his wife, said Maj. Donnie Lowe of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office. The father told a nurse about the phone call, and the nurse notified police.

Authorities raided the house in the Holly Grove area to find the 53-year-old Smythers sitting in a chair, cradling a .22-caliber rifle. His wife, Dawn D. Smythers, 52, lay dead from what appeared to be a single gunshot to the head, Lowe said.

Lowe said officers were able to wrest the rifle from Smythers and arrest him. “He went for the trigger, but they managed to secure him and the rifle,” he said.

While investigating, deputies found a “substantial amount of material appearing to be marijuana and other related items,” according to Lowe.

Forrest Smythers was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. It was unclear what he had been convicted of previously.

The Smythers had been married for about 25 years, Lowe said.

“We know they were arguing for a good part of the day, but we haven’t been able to pinpoint what straw broke the camel’s back,” Lowe said.

The suspect is being held without bond at the Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange County. He is scheduled to appear in Louisa General District Court this morning for a bond hearing.

The killing is the first homicide this year in Louisa, Lowe said. There was one homicide in the county last year.