Tragically, Ronald Smith was one of the victims of California serial murderer, Patrick Wayne Kearney who was convicted of murdering 21 young men and boys between 1962 and 1977. He is currently serving twenty-one life sentences and is incarcerated at California’s Mule Creek State Prison for his crimes. He was known as the “Trash Bag Killer” and is known to have killed at least 43 young men and boys. He is one of the most prolific serial murderers in California history.

On August 24, 1974, Ronald Smith was suffocated and murdered.