Man bailed out of jail kills dad with dumbbell next day, TX cops say. He’s convicted
A Texas man accused of killing his father using a dumbbell and a plastic bag was found guilty of murder in a Harris County courtroom, officials say.
The guilty verdict on Tuesday, March 11, comes more than three years after Ryan Smith, 29, allegedly killed his dad at a Houston home on Jan. 24, 2022, court records show. Smith’s attorneys argued that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, records show.
McClatchy News reached out to an attorney representing Smith but they did not immediately provide a comment on the verdict.
Two days before the killing, Smith carjacked two men and stole a phone charger at an H-E-B store before police responded, spurring a chase, officials said, KPRC reported. Smith fled on foot, jumping from buildings and through parking garages, and stabbing a police K-9 with a butcher knife when it caught up to him, officials said.
Officers captured Smith and he was booked into jail, but his family paid his bond. He was released on Jan. 23, and he went to stay at his father’s house, the station reported.
The following day, Jan. 24, Smith killed his father by luring him into the garage and bludgeoning him with a 15-pound dumbbell, then wrapping a plastic bag around his head so he couldn’t breathe, officials said, the Houston Chronicle reported.
When Smith’s family couldn’t get in touch with the father, or find him at his home, they reported him missing, the outlet reported. Officers searched the house and found his body in the garage.
Smith fled in his father’s truck, was pursued by police and crashed at a Houston park and ran away on foot, escaping for a time, KPRC reported. However, he was found soon after walking along a highway and was arrested, police said.
Smith is expected to be back in court March 17 for sentencing, the Houston Chronicle reported.
This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 9:15 AM with the headline "Man bailed out of jail kills dad with dumbbell next day, TX cops say. He’s convicted."