ADAMS COUNTY — A Conewago Township man convicted in December of brutally killing his roommate was sentenced to life in prison in Adams County Court Monday morning, court documents show.
Walter Mark Smith, 46, was convicted of beating his roommate, Mitchell Jones, to death on June 4, 2016. According to police, Smith and Jones were smoking crack in their home, and got into a confrontation that turned physical.
Smith beat Jones to death with a ceramic water pitcher, police say.
After the fight, Smith drove to a friend’s home in New Oxford. He told the friend and his wife that he and Mitch “had been partying together” and that Jones “hit him with a chair and knocked him down.” He then stated that he “beat him to death.”
The friend and his wife then drove to Smith’s apartment and found Jones’ body. They then notified police. Police arrived on the scene and confirmed that Jones was dead in an upstairs bedroom with a black plastic garbage bag covering his head. There were also evident signs of a struggle and a large amount of blood in the bedroom.
Police said Smith claimed that Jones tried to stab him with a screwdriver.
