Adam Smith, 48, stands accused of murdering two men in St. Lawrence County. (Photo courtesy)

BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- Firearms recovered from the home of George Smith, father of accused murderer Adam Smith, are alleged to have belonged to William Freeman.

Freeman was allegedly murdered by Smith on March 2, 2023 in his home in the town of Rossie.

Smith is currently on trial for Freeman's homicide, as well as the homicide of Ronald "Huck" Durham on Feb. 11, 2023.

George Smith testifies against son

In taking the stand on Nov. 7, George Smith testified that his son Adam had brought two rifles to his residence in Lake Placid on March 1, 2023.

In testimony to District Attorney Gary Pasqua, George said he received a call from Adam "sometime during the afternoon sometime, around 5 o'clock maybe" to see if he was home.

George said upon arrival, Adam gave him two rifles that he wanted him to hang onto.

"He said he was going to New York City for work and wanted me to hang onto them for him while he was away," George Smith testified.

He said he then took the two rifles and ammunition, placed them in gun cases and stored them in his loft.

George Smith also testified that he hadn't seen his son for "a couple of months" but said it was not uncommon to go several weeks without seeing Adam.

But soon after, George said he was informed of Adam's arrest.

In speaking with a nephew that was a sergeant in the Lake Placid Police Department, George said he decided it would be best to hand the firearms over to the State Police.

He testified that his nephew then called the State Police, who in turn called George, leading to investigator Shannon Lynch coming to his residence to secure the firearms shortly thereafter.

In his testimony, George Smith confirmed that the two rifles entered into evidence were in fact those brought to his home by Adam on March 1, 2023.

Later, in the testimony of Michael Freeman, brother of William Freeman, he also confirmed that the two rifles in evidence were those owned by William.

He commented that he knew they were because of the tape on the scopes of each.

"He bought scope caps that didn't quite fit, so he put some duct tape on them so they would fit. He never met a problem he couldn't fix with duct tape," Michael Freeman testified.

Video footage appears to show Smith's truck on morning of Durham murder

New York State Police civilian employee James Cooper took the stand as well to detail photos and video he compiled from security footage obtained from the ACE Hardware in Gouverneur.

In enhanced and enlarged photos shown in court, Cooper detailed a pickup truck that was seen crossing the bridge around 4:42 a.m. on the morning of February 11, 2023, the same day Durham was murdered in Eastside Cemetery.

A specialist with the State Police Forensic Multimedia Unit, Cooper said he specializes in enlarging and enhancing video and photo evidence by clarifying footage and making adjustments to the contract and color levels, among other, to make an image more clear.

Cooper said the video surveillance footage was obtained by State Police from the ACE Hardware location, which was forwarded to the crime lab in Albany.

He said he enlarged the area of interest, that of a pickup truck or large vehicle crossing the bridge, in an attempt to clarify the vehicle.

The footage and photos appeared to show a dark pickup truck, though Cooper said he was unsure of the vehicle type specifically during his testimony.

In his cross examination, defense attorney Brian Barrett had just one question for Cooper.

"Do you know where that vehicle was going?" he asked.

"No," Cooper responded.                                                      

Trooper finds Freeman phone near SLC border

Trooper Justin Seymour, formerly of SP Gouverneur, also took the stand to detail his findings around the time of Freeman's murder.

In his testimony, Seymour said he had stopped at a turnaround near the St. Lawrence County and Jefferson County line on Route 11 around 8 p.m. on March 1, 2023.

He said about 30 minutes later he exited his vehicle to stretch his legs, at which time he saw a cell phone lying on the shoulder "lit up."

Seymour said he saw a message on the phone that led him to believe the phone belonged to William Freeman, though he searched for an associated name to attempt contact.

He said at that point he found contact information for Michael Freeman, William's brother.

Seymour said he called Michael, who confirmed the phone was in fact Williams.

When asked if he gave the phone to Michael, Seymour said he didn't.

"I would never do that. I wanted to return the phone to its rightful owner," Seymour said.

In his brief conversation with Michael Freeman, Seymour said he obtained a rough description of William's residence.

After calling William's landline 11 times, Seymour said he eventually left a voicemail to inform Freeman he was in possession of a cell phone that belonged to him.

Seymour testified he then drove to William's residence and parked at the road due to the excess snow in his driveway.

"Had I attempted to drive in I was afraid I was going to get stuck," Seymour said.

He said he walked up the driveway which "was about 200 feet or so, give or take."

He said he had walked in a tire track to stay out of the deeper snow, before walking around a walkway.  

Upon reaching the back door, Seymour said he saw a light on in the trailer and knocked on an exterior door that became ajar.

He said he did not have to turn the knob to enter.

Arriving at the interior door to enter the trailer, Seymour said he knocked again and could see the interior of the trailer but could not make out any specific details.

After receiving no response, Seymour said he left and took the phone back to SP Governor and filed paper for lost property.

He said he had no further contact with Freeman and did not go to the residence again.

The Adam Smith murder trial will continue Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 9:30 a.m. in St. Lawrence County Court.