Adam Smith, 48, stands accused of murdering two men in St. Lawrence County in February and March 2023. (Photo courtesy)

BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON — A stolen debit card belonging to William Freeman has potentially implicated accused murderer Adam Smith in the death of Freeman, witnesses testified on Nov. 6.

In testimony given by Shannon Smith, niece of William Freeman, and Robin Bango, an employee of Upstate National Bank in Philadelphia, the two women say a debit card belonging to Freeman was stolen the day of his murder. 

Freeman was murdered on March 2, 2023, less than one month after Ronald “Huck” Durham was murdered on Feb. 11, 2023 in the town of Gouverneur. 

Smith stands accused of murdering the two men. 

Smith and Bango say voice was not Freeman 

What started with a phone call to change a pin number on a debit card led to the discovery of Freeman’s body not long after. 

According to Bango’s testimony, she received a call at 1:12 p.m. by a caller claiming to be Freeman. She said the man on the phone asked to change a pin number on Freeman’s debit card, however the tone of his speech seemed off. 

“He wasn’t as friendly, more formal. Willy was very casual when he called,” she said. 

She said he could be “a bit of a flirt” and would call her things like “beautiful, ravenous creature” when he called. 

“You had to know him,” she said. 

But Bango said she wouldn’t allow the change to happen, informing the caller that they needed to come into the bank and file a form. 

It was at that time the caller said he was driving and would have to call back. 

“Willy knew he would have to come in for that anyway,” she said. 

Immediately after getting off the phone, Bango said she immediately when upstairs to speak with Smith, who is the branch manager, and informed her of the situation. 

“And why did you tell her?” District Attorney Gary Pasqua asked. 

“Because that was her uncle,” Bango responded. 

Smith calls back 

Shannon Smith has been with the bank for 23 years, serving as the branch manager for the last several years. 

On that day, Smith said she attempted to call her uncle directly but was unable to reach him. 

She said she knew based on the number the call came from originally it was not her uncle. 

“It would have shown as William Freeman on our caller because he always called on his home phone. It was a landline,” she said. 

But the number did not match Freeman’s cell number either. 

She said she attempted to call the cell number shortly after but was unable to make contact. 

It was at that time she said she reached out to her uncle, Michael Freeman and James Mandigo, a neighbor of the Freeman’s, to go check on William. 

In speaking with her mother, she said she was later informed that William’s truck was gone and no tracks were left in the driveway after snow that day. 

She said the family thought William was not home because “he would never let someone drive his truck.” 

Shortly after 2 p.m., Smith said she made contact with the original caller who claimed to be calling “for his uncle who couldn’t make the call.” 

She testified that it was at that point she knew something was wrong and checked the account transactions related to Freeman’s card. 

A freeze had been placed on the card immediately after Bango informed Smith of the call, she said. 

“An invalid transaction tried to post with his debit card,” Smith said. 

“And where did that transaction occur?” Pasqua asked. 

“At the Star Lake Circle K,” she said. 

Smith said she kept the card frozen to ensure further attempts to use it would not be successful. 

Oxbox Country Store manager testifies 

Amber Finnerty, co-owner of the Oxbox Country Store, said Smith had attempted to buy gas at the store she co-owns with her husband but a failed transaction meant Smith had to pay with cash. 

She testified that Smith attempted to use a debit card on March 1, however the transaction failed to go through and was listed as “invalid.”

She said she was not aware of why the transaction failed, noting that many customers trying multiple times when an issue pops up “because they think it’s an issue with their bank or something.”

Finnerty said she also knew Dan Durham and William Freeman as both men frequented the location. 

On the morning of March 1, she said she saw Freeman “waiting outside the store” at opening time. 

Finnerty said she was running behind that morning, though Freeman did not seem bothered by that. 

“He bought his usual, USA Gold Full Flavored cigarettes,” she said. 

She commented that she saw Freeman driving his “black or dark blue” Chevy pickup that morning. 

But the next day, he didn’t come back. 

“That was very unlike him. We saw him almost every day unless he was at hunting camp,” she said. 

Finnerty testified that Freeman would often tell her and her husband when he went to camp. 

“He loved hunting and fishing. He always told us when he was going to camp,” she said. 

On that same day, Finnerty said she saw Smith with Dan Durham, brother of Ronald Durham. The two men were riding together and Smith had entered the store to pay for $20 worth of gas with cash. 

She said it was not uncommon to see them together and knew that the two men had lived together but was unsure if they still were at that point.

Finnerty said she had also seen Smith interact with Freeman when both men were in the store prior to March 1. On one occasion, Freeman had complimented Smith on his toolbox in the back of his truck. 

“William had said that the toolbox would be handy at his hunting camp and asked Adam about them,” she said. 

Not long after, Smith came back to ask Finnerty if she knew where Freeman lived. She said he wanted to stop over to talk to him about the tool boxes. 

Though she did not have an exact address, she gave Smith a rough idea and described Freeman’s trailer as “multi-colored” due to the different types of siding used.