In the Age of the Internet, it’s not unusual to find a tale of true crime that makes one’s skin crawl. These tails usually involve some sort of dismemberment, long-term abuse, or gruesome killing. Such stories can make us question ourselves as a civilized culture, but not every one of these tales are as cut-and-dry as they seem.
Take for instance the story of the 19-year-old who allegedly killed an entire family in his native Georgia. Many facets of the investigation point to his guilt, but one note of doubt in his tale could point to a completely different, though wholly unbelievable, scenario…
The Gorge
It was a hot July day when a Georgian emergency response group began the arduous task of lifting the body out of the Khada gorge. The group had come looking for a missing family, two American expats who had moved to the area nearly ten years prior. Their Georgian neighbors had reported them missing and feared the worst.
Two Bodies
The body beneath the waterfall was that of Lora Joy Smith, a 42-year-old former teacher and it was clear from her condition that she had been sexually assaulted prior to falling to her death. The next day, the investigators discovered her husband Ryan’s body as well. He had been shot. Their son was still missing though and might be alive out there somewhere.
Contact the Authorities
The emergency response group continued searching the area for 4-year-old Caleb. The next day, a 19-year-old local boy named Malkhaz Kobauri contacted them, claiming he had information about the boy. Kobauri was a shepherd and though he had few dealings with the Smiths in the past, he seemed to know more than he let on.
Three Days
Three days after Lora was found, Kobauri led the investigators to the place where he had allegedly buried Caleb’s lifeless body. He was immediately taken into custody and the rest of the team began the arduous process of examining the forensic evidence. They weren’t sure what Kobauri’s part in all this was, but something about the boy certainly seemed off.
Questions from the Start
The authorities had dozens of questions. How had Kobauri come to know the Smiths? Had he been the culprit that ended their lives or an innocent bystander who had seen the grisly crime occur? If he was the culprit, why had he chosen to kill them? To understand his motives, they first had to understand the victims.
Seeing the World
Ryan Smith left the United States in 2002 because he wanted to live his passion for travel. Ryan loved other cultures and was determined to experience them firsthand. So he made his way to Azerbaijan, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Azerbaijan sits at what is essentially the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It was the perfect starting point.
Inspiration
At first, Ryan settled in Baku, the capital of the country. He got a job working in the rug market and soon found himself Inspired by the unbelievable work of the rug makers there. He loved the intricacy of the weaving, the unique patterns, and the vibrant colors. He was so inspired, in fact, that he decided to start his own rug weaving business.
U.S. Citizens Abroad
In December of 2005, Ryan returned to the U.S., to his hometown of San Diego, California. While he was there, he met Lora, the woman who would end up becoming his wife. The two bonded in their love of travel and soon moved back to the Eurasian region, this time settling in Georgia’s eastern Marneuli city. It was there they had their first and only child, Caleb.
English Teacher
Together, Ryan and Lora ran ReWoven, the rug-making business that Ryan had dreamed of. ReWoven uses proven, traditional methods to create unique, handcrafted Azerbaijani woven carpets which they sell all over the world for upwards of $1,000 each. At the same time, Lora worked for the Georgian government as an English teacher.
Respected Members
The Smiths became well-respected members of the community, both among other expats and locals as well. It was because of this that their disappearance did not go unnoticed. They met Kobauri when they hired the shepherd to take them on a tour to a scenic waterfall in the country. They had no idea the type of person that the unassuming shepherd truly was.
The Shepherd Himself
Malkhaz Kobauri hailed from the Akhalgori district in the Tskhinvali or South Ossetia region, of Georgia. Since the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, this area is controlled by a combination of Russian forces and South Ossetian militia. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant place to grow up, but by all appearances, the 19-year-old seemed like a nice young man.
One Final Tour
As far as the authorities could figure out, the tour came to a head when Ryan told Kobauri to be careful with the hunting rifle he was carrying. Apparently, the shepherd hadn’t been cautious enough with the weapon while in the presence of their 4-year-old son. An argument ensued and Kobauri turned the gun on Ryan, shooting him in the face.
Take Care
The irritated shepherd then proceeded to shoot the child at point blank range as well. Lora stood there, frozen in fear, unsure what she could possibly do to save herself from the same fate. She backed up towards the waterfall, caught between a proverbial rock and a hard place. Before she could make a move to escape, Kobauri allegedly forced himself upon her.
Incapable
After that, Kobauri threw Lora down the cliff to her death. When he was first arrested, Kobauri’s lawyer claimed that his client was incapable of having sex. He alleged that the 19-year-old was a virgin and simply wouldn’t have raped Lora. Unfortunately for him, a look into Kobauri’s Internet history proved that to be a gross exaggeration.
Pervert
As it happens, Kobauri, like many 19-year-olds, was a bit of a pervert. He’d been to plenty of pornographic websites and was almost certainly sexually active. The next revelation proved to cement that assertion as well, as investigators soon found photos on his phone of Lora Smith’s body after her fall into the ravine. Clearly, he had more than a passing interest in the woman.
DNA Evidence
DNA tests soon found evidence of Kobauri’s semen on Lora’s body, as well as on her underwear. As soon as the DNA results were announced, the shepherd’s lawyer David Girgvliani quit the case. He never gave a specific reason, but those who knew him understood that he was a man of integrity and he could no longer prove his client was innocent beyond a reasonable doubt.
New Claims
Luckily for Kobauri, a new lawyer stepped up to help defend his innocence. Lekso Kobaidze insists that his client is innocent and has made a motion to retract Kobauri’s earlier confession. The new story was that it wasn’t Kobauri’s fault at all and that “two mysterious foreigners” had killed the Smiths and then had browbeaten him into not telling a soul.
Threats
Kobauri claimed the men were from North Caucasus and arrived in the gorge in a black car. They shot the family dead and forced him to stay quiet about the thing under threat of killing his own family. This, of course, didn’t account for the DNA evidence or the fact that Lora Smith was thrown into the gorge. Nor did it account for the fact that no one actually saw the car besides the accused.
Coercion
Kobauri’s mother, Mariam Martiashvili, also came out in support of her son. She and her son’s lawyer both agree that Kobauri was, at the very least, forced to confess by police under threat of incarceration. But is this new tale an indication of a secret conspiracy against two wealthy American rug merchants, or the work of a sexually frustrated, murderous youth?
Life Sentence
If he is convicted in the trial, he faces a life sentence for the sexual assault and murders. That is pending that he is mentally healthy enough to stand trial. Currently, psychologists and psychiatrists have evaluated Kobauri and assure the courts that he is indeed well enough to proceed. Time will tell what the jury ultimately decides.
