Fort Drum deserter guilty in 2008 murder of pastor

The first of two Fort Drum deserters accused of robbing and killing a West Virginia pastor was found guilty Friday and sentenced to serve a minimum of 37 years and six months in prison, the Herald Dispatch, Huntington, W.Va., has reported.

Spc. Daniel Smith, of Newport News, Va., received a 90-year sentence for robbing the Rev. Mark McCalla and a consecutive 37-year sentence for the pastor's murder.

The Rev. Mr. McCalla's body was found June 2008 hidden among weeds at a secluded gun range. Spc. Smith and Pfc. Stephen Wilson, 24, of Cincinnati, Ohio, had allegedly robbed the pastor of $50 and three firearms before shooting him in the head and dragging his body to a remote part of the range.

Pfc. Wilson who has confessed to pulling the trigger, is scheduled to be tried in December, the Herald Dispatch reported.

The jury recommended that Spc. Smith be sentenced to life in prison with mercy, which means he could be eligible for parole in 15 years, although that eligibility would be delayed for at least two decades because of the robbery conviction.