Jury finds Smith guilty of Coin Shop murders

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Two days shy of the 10th anniversary of The Coin Shop murders in downtown Cheyenne, a 12-person jury found Douglas Smith guilty Friday of two counts of first-degree murder.

After a week-long trial and approximately seven hours of deliberation, Smith was found guilty of killing both 67-year-old Dwight Brockman, owner of The Coin Shop, and Brockman’s friend, 76-year-old George “Doc” Manley, during the Cheyenne Frontier Days Pancake Breakfast in 2015.

Four days of testimony recounted years’ worth of detective work and newfound evidence that conflicted with Smith’s statements made to police through the years.

According to Cheyenne Police Department detectives, Smith provided conflicting statements between 2015 and 2023 as he recounted the events surrounding the shootings. Though Smith stayed in contact with detectives, making himself available for further questioning, he wasn’t initially a suspect in 2015 and wasn’t arrested until 2024.

Phone records, video footage of the surrounding scene, witness accounts and observations of the crime scene conflicted with Smith’s statements and led to his arrest, according to the prosecutors.

After taking a brief break in deliberations on Friday to revisit Smith’s initial call to 911 reporting the incident, as well as a police interview with Smith that followed later that morning, the jury found Smith guilty on both counts.

Jurors did not make statements regarding what pieces of evidence or testimony were deciding factors in the case.

The date of sentencing will depend on whether Smith wants to expedite his sentencing or would prefer to wait the three months that it typically takes the Wyoming Department of Corrections to produce a pre-sentence investigation report.

Both charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Before the trial, the state agreed not to seek the death penalty if Smith were convicted.

Smith has 30 days to appeal the verdict after sentencing takes place.

This story was published on July 19, 2025.