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Wilkes man facing charges
He is accused of murder in shooting of his father
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Published: September 17, 2008
MORAVIAN FALLS - A Wilkes County man died yesterday morning after his son shot him in the head Monday night at his kitchen table, authorities said.
Joseph Wesley Smithey Sr., 79, of 126 Dixie Rock Road died at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, said Sheriff Dane Mastin of Wilkes County.
Smithey's son, Jeffrey Allen Smithey, 45, of the same address was charged with murder and is being held in the Wilkes County Jail with no bond allowed.
When sheriff's deputies arrived at the house Monday, they found Jeffrey Smithey in the driveway.
"He wouldn't leave me alone," Smithey told the deputies, according to their report. "He told me to shoot him, and I did."
The father and son had been arguing, authorities said, although it's not clear what the argument was about. They said they were not aware of previous problems between the two.
Mastin said that Joseph Smithey suffered a single shot in the forehead from a .22-caliber pistol fired at a distance of less than 10 feet.
Authorities said it appeared that the son had been drinking.
Jeffrey Smithey has a history of alcohol-related convictions. He served a year in prison from 1990 to 1991 on a driving-while-impaired conviction, according to the N.C. Department of Correction. He also served 60 days for a 1987 DWI conviction.
He was also convicted of DWI in 1985, 1986 and 1997, all in Wilkes County, according to records.
Investigation into the shooting is continuing.
■ Monte Mitchell can be reached in Wilkesboro at 336-667-5691 or at mmitchell@wsjournal.com.
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