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The bizarre case of F. Bruce Covington
Back in September 2006, a 23-year-old intern turned up dead in a home in Thornbury. The body of Jason Shephard was found wrapped in a sheet in the basement. He had been drugged and strangled.
The owner of the home, William Smithson, was charged with first-degree murder. Police believe he strangled Shephard, who had arrived here from North Dakota on business just a few days earlier, after the intern rejected his sexual advances.
(Full disclosure here: I know Smithson. He used to work here at the newspaper.)
But Smithson and Shephard were not alone in the home that night. Court documents indicate F. Bruce Covington, a former administrator at Saint Joseph’s University, also was in the house. Smithson’s lawyer sought immunity for Covington so he could testify on his client’s behalf.
The defense alleges Covington is the person who injected drugs into Smithson and also supplied GHB to both the defendant and the victim. GHB is known as the date-rape drug. Covington says he was asleep and did not hear anything.
Covington has not been charged in connection with the Shephard murder.
Last week, police in Narberth started investigating a claim of sexual assault by a 27-year-old man. Their investigation led them to Covington’s apartment.
The 57-year-old Covington now faces a long list of drug charges because of what police found inside, including suspected crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and crack cocaine. They also found suspected GHB.
Covington faces more than 100 drug charges.
He has not been charged with any sex offenses in connection with the man’s claims of assault.
The 27-year-old has been hospitalized “because of the severe trauma of his rape,” according to a police affidavit.
The circumstances are eerily similar to what police believe happened on the night Shephard died. In this latest instance, the victim told police he was drugged and assaulted. He says he is now “terrified of these males” and named a “Bruce” in particular.
Here’s my question and what I’ve been thinking about since we first uncovered this case last weekend. What else happened in those 18 months?
On Thursday Smithson’s lawyer filed a new motion in Delaware County Court seeking to have a gag order in the case lifted so he can talk to Covington about what happened on that deadly night in Thornbury.
It seems we still have much to learn about the bizarre case of F. Bruce Covington.
The owner of the home, William Smithson, was charged with first-degree murder. Police believe he strangled Shephard, who had arrived here from North Dakota on business just a few days earlier, after the intern rejected his sexual advances.
(Full disclosure here: I know Smithson. He used to work here at the newspaper.)
But Smithson and Shephard were not alone in the home that night. Court documents indicate F. Bruce Covington, a former administrator at Saint Joseph’s University, also was in the house. Smithson’s lawyer sought immunity for Covington so he could testify on his client’s behalf.
The defense alleges Covington is the person who injected drugs into Smithson and also supplied GHB to both the defendant and the victim. GHB is known as the date-rape drug. Covington says he was asleep and did not hear anything.
Covington has not been charged in connection with the Shephard murder.
Last week, police in Narberth started investigating a claim of sexual assault by a 27-year-old man. Their investigation led them to Covington’s apartment.
The 57-year-old Covington now faces a long list of drug charges because of what police found inside, including suspected crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and crack cocaine. They also found suspected GHB.
Covington faces more than 100 drug charges.
He has not been charged with any sex offenses in connection with the man’s claims of assault.
The 27-year-old has been hospitalized “because of the severe trauma of his rape,” according to a police affidavit.
The circumstances are eerily similar to what police believe happened on the night Shephard died. In this latest instance, the victim told police he was drugged and assaulted. He says he is now “terrified of these males” and named a “Bruce” in particular.
Here’s my question and what I’ve been thinking about since we first uncovered this case last weekend. What else happened in those 18 months?
On Thursday Smithson’s lawyer filed a new motion in Delaware County Court seeking to have a gag order in the case lifted so he can talk to Covington about what happened on that deadly night in Thornbury.
It seems we still have much to learn about the bizarre case of F. Bruce Covington.
posted by Heron's Nest at
7:17 AM
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