BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- A Lake Placid man accused of murdering two men in February 2023 and March 2023 is heading to trial beginning October 15.

Adam Smith, 48, stands accused of murdering Ronald Durham, 72, Gouverneur, and William Freeman, 67, Rossie last year.

Smith was indicted on charges of first and second degree murder, manslaughter, first degree robbery, and first degree assault for the Feb. 11, 2023 killing of Durham.

The indictment also charged Smith with the crimes of first and second degree murder, manslaughter, first degree robbery, and first degree assault, third and multiple accounts of fourth degree grand larceny for the March 1, 2023 killing of Freeman.

The larceny charges stem from Smith allegedly stealing Freeman's 2018 Chevy Silverado, before being apprehended by Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputies.

Smith was subsequently transferred back to St. Lawrence County, where the Sheriff’s Office charged him with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property as well.

Smith was officially charged with second-degree murder in the death of Freeman on March 7.

At that time, former St. Lawrence County Sheriff Brooks Bigwarfe reported that Smith stabbed Freeman to death on March 1 in Freeman’s trailer on County Route 10 in the town of Rossie.

Evidence gathered at the scene, coupled with Smith's criminal history and probation status quickly led police to him, according to the sheriff’s department.

On Feb. 11 State Police responded to East Side Cemetery on Van Buren Road around 8:20 a.m. following a report of a deceased male.

When troopers arrived on the scene, they reportedly located Durham deceased under suspicious circumstances.

An autopsy has determined Durham died from sharp force injury to the neck.

During a press conference held last year, St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary Pasqua said Smith was also involved in the killing of Durham. He was later formally charged with murder.

Since his arrest, Smith has been an inmate at St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility.

County officials said numerous interviews have been conducted by multiple departments, with numerous leads followed up on that led to the arrest, with numerous search warrants issued on multiple properties, vehicles and locations relevant to the investigation.

Prior to Smith being a suspect, police had charged Frederick Wing, 22, with the murder of Durham. Wing was released from county jail on Friday, March 3 at the request of Pasqua and law enforcement after evidence came to light during the Freeman murder investigation that implicated Smith in the case.

According to Pasqua, the arrest was “not made on a whim” and was only made after physical evidence at the scene gave law enforcement probable cause to arrest Wing.

It still remains unclear what motivation Smith had for committing either crime, however both Bigwarfe and Pasqua previously confirmed the victims and Smith did have connections and these were not random acts of violence.

Following the indictments, State Police continued to investigate Smith’s connections to Durham’s homicide.

Pasqua also previously confirmed that Smith had violated his parole stemming from a previous burglary conviction at the time of the murders.

“I just want to say this, that this individual that has been arrested for this crime, a pretty heinous crime, appears to be a very dangerous individual,” Bigwarfe said during the March 2023 press conference.