Coin Shop slayings suspect's change-of-venue request denied, trial reset for July

CHEYENNE (WNE) – The suspect in the 2015 double homicide at The Coin Shop in downtown Cheyenne won’t go to trial until more than a year after his arrest.

Douglas Smith, a 68-year-old Canadian citizen in the country illegally, was arrested last June in the deaths of Dwight Brockman and George “Doc” Manley. Due to multiple requests to continue the trial, which was originally set for Dec. 3, Smith will not face a jury of his peers until at least July 14.

When asked why the trial had been pushed back so many times, Laramie County District Attorney Sylvia Hackl responded, “The trial was reset for July at the request of the defense.”

Smith’s attorneys, Christina Williams and Rob Oldham of Just Criminal Law in Gillette, did not respond to requests for comment in time for this article.

Oldham filed a motion for a change of venue on behalf of Smith on Feb. 3. Laramie County Judge Steven Sharpe rejected the motion on Feb. 20.

This story was published on March 22, 2025.