Opinion ID: 3043524
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Murder of Durk Van Dam

Text: On Friday, November 21, 1997, Smith was released from a state prison and transferred to a community-custody program to complete the remainder of his 10year sentence for his burglary and theft convictions. Smith v. State (“Smith I”), 795 So. 2d 788, 796, 797 n.1 (Ala. Crim. App. 2000). Two days after his release from prison, Smith murdered the victim Durk Van Dam on November 23, 1997. Police discovered Van Dam’s body near his pick-up truck in an isolated area in southern Mobile County. Van Dam suffered approximately 35 separate, distinct exterior injuries. His head, face, and torso were beaten; his corpse revealed a 1 Although courts formerly employed the term “mental retardation,” we now use the term “intellectual disability” to describe the same condition. Accord Brumfield v. Cain, 576 U.S. ___, ___ n.1, 135 S. Ct. 2269, 2274 n.1 (2015). However, we sometimes use the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” when quoting or discussing earlier judicial opinions, court orders, trial testimony, or other items that used those terms at the time. 2 Case: 14-10721 Date Filed: 08/03/2015 Page: 3 of 39 number of blunt force injuries; and his body was mutilated by a saw or a saw-like device. Van Dam was robbed of $150 in cash and the boots off his feet. His tools were stolen from his pickup truck, which was mired in mud.