Serial Killer’s First Victim? The Murder of Dorothy Waterstreet

One of New York State’s most notorious serial killers, Lemuel Smith, is currently incarcerated at the Wende Correctional Facility in Erie County for several horrific crimes. But Smith was never arrested or prosecuted for what many agree was his first homicide, the vicious murder of Dorothy Waterstreet, the mother of one of his high school classmates. Smith was described by one judge as “the poster child for the death penalty” and the story of his years-long rampage paralyzed the Capital District of New York State in the 1970’s, and continued even while in prison. We recount the story of this “monster” with the help of several people including, the two cops who arrested Smith on his last day of freedom with his kidnap victim next to him in the car, rescuing her from certain deat ...