Army Ranger guilty in murder case

ROCKVILLE - A Maryland jury found a former Army Ranger guilty of second-degree murder yesterday in the shooting death of a fellow Ranger he had served with in Afghanistan.

Gary Smith, 25, was accused of killing Michael McQueen, 22, with a gunshot to the head in the apartment the two shared in Gaithersburg in September 2006.

Smith was found guilty of second-degree murder - depraved heart - but the Montgomery County Circuit Court jury acquitted him of a first-degree murder charge after deliberating for six hours. The depraved heart qualification indicates a killing that is not intentional but results from reckless behavior that shows an extreme disregard for human life.

Smith was stoic as the verdict was read, and there was little reaction in the courtroom from the families of Smith or McQueen. Judge Eric M. Johnson revoked Smith’s bond, and Smith was led away in handcuffs by sheriff deputies. He could be sentenced to up to 50 years in prison on May 27 for murder and the jury’s guilty finding on a handgun charge.

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