Onion Field Killer Smith May Return to Prison

“Onion Field” killer Jimmy Lee Smith, who was arrested Monday night in West Covina for allegedly terrorizing a woman he held captive over the weekend, may go back to prison even if he is acquitted of the allegations, according to state prison officials.

West Covina police were holding Smith, 58, Tuesday on suspicion of false imprisonment, attempted rape, assault with a deadly weapon and possession of heroin.

Smith and Gregory Powell were convicted of kidnaping two Los Angeles policemen in March, 1963, and taking them to an onion field south of Bakersfield, where Powell shot one officer to death.

Smith, who has been sent back to prison three times for parole violations, was being held without bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned today in Citrus Municipal Court.

House Remodeling

Police said Smith and the 36-year-old victim had been hired to remodel a West Covina home in the 100 block of Cherrywood Street. Smith refused to let the woman, whose name was not released, leave the home Saturday night, police said. She managed to call police Monday evening.

The man who owns the home, Omar Haddad, said he knew Smith was a felon when he hired him but did not know he was connected with the onion field murder. “The guy worked for me for a while,” Haddad said. “He was a good employee.”

Harold W. White, deputy regional administrator for the state Department of Parole and Community Services Division, said that even if Smith is not convicted of any crime, he could still go back to prison for as long as a year.

Revocation Standards

In such cases, the state Board of Prison Terms can revoke parole upon a finding of “just cause,” said Randall Mark Stewart, Smith’s parole agent.

“In a court of law, the standard is beyond reasonable doubt,” Stewart said. “In cases of parole violations, the standard is if it is more likely than not that he committed the violation he’s charged with.”

Smith was first paroled in February, 1982, after serving 19 years at Soledad Correctional Facility. A short time later, he was ordered back to prison for six months after failing a drug test and neglecting to tell his parole officer he was leaving the Los Angeles area.

In July, 1984, Smith was convicted of selling heroin while on parole and was sentenced to five years. He was paroled in November, 1986, according to Stewart.

In March, 1987, Smith’s parole was revoked for six months because he changed his residence without notifying authorities and was caught with a knife with a three-inch blade, Stewart said. Later in December, his parole was revoked for a year for driving without a license, being under the influence of a drug, possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia, Stewart said.

Powell and Smith were twice sentenced to death for killing the Los Angeles police officer, but the sentences were later overturned. Powell is serving a life term.

The crime and ensuing trial were recounted in Joseph Wambaugh’s best-selling novel, “The Onion Field,” which was later made into a movie.