Three children, their mother killed 

PORTSMOUTH — A Piketon man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for driving under the influence and killing three children and their mother in May 2024 accident.

They had just attended a kindergarten graduation.

An Ohio State Highway Patrol report from May 24, 2024, said that Gage A. Smith, now 24, of Piketon, was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier northbound on State Route 104. After passing another northbound vehicle, Smith lost control, traveled left of center and struck an oncoming southbound vehicle, a 1994 Ford F-350. 

Three children in the back seat of his car, Navy A. Copas, 4, Madison Q. Copas, 6, and Xavier A. Smith, 5, did not survive the crash. Their mother, Courtney D. Copas, 28, of Piketon, died at a Columbus hospital.

They were returning from Piketon, where they had just attended Madison Copas’ kindergarten graduation ceremony at Portsmouth West Elementary School. 

Smith was treated and released at SOMC and then incarcerated at the Scioto County Jail. 

Smith initially faced 47 total counts, 37 of them for felony charges, stemming from an indictment returned by the Scioto County Grand Jury in June 2024. 

Smith waived his right to a jury trial and elected to have Judge Mark Kuhn decide the merits of the case. 

The three-day trial ended on July 9 and Smith was sentenced to a life sentence without parole eligibility for the next 60 years following his convictions for four counts of murder and a host of related charges.

Scioto County Prosecutor Shane Tieman said an eyewitness testified that Smith was weaving in and out of his lane of travel and passing other vehicles in prohibited areas and that Smith was traveling at speeds approaching or exceeding 80 mph in a 55 mph zone. After Smith had passed another vehicle, he lost control of the car and spun into the southbound lane where the rear of the Cavalier impacted a truck pulling a camper driven by 29-year-old Tyler Bellaw, also of Piketon, who was able to bring his truck and the camper to a careful and controlled stop despite the massive collision. He never left his lane of travel and had no ability to avoid the collision.

Tieman said a large-scale investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol was immediately commenced. Search warrants were obtained for Smith’s blood, urine, vehicle and cellular phone. 

Tieman said Smith further admitted to ‘snorting’ painkillers prior to the collision and to smoking from a THC vape pen found on his person, and that blood and urine analysis confirmed the presence of THC (marijuana), Hydrocodone, and Oxycodone in Smith’s system. Smith was in possession of almost 100 illegal Vicodin and Percocet pills at the time of the collision.

Tieman said Smith had deliberately disconnected one of the brake lines of the vehicle and was regularly using the parking/emergency brake to try and slow the Cavalier. This brake line was ‘crimped’ off to try and prevent fluid from leaking. Four empty or nearly empty bottles of brake fluid were discovered during the investigation. The Cavalier was also a ‘salvage’ under Ohio law, which had not been properly inspected. The tires on Smith’s vehicle were nearly bald and had signs of dry rot.

Smith admitted he had never had a driver’s license in Ohio or any other state. 

Smith’s defense counsel admitted during closing arguments that his conduct was reckless, but disputed that it rose to the level of ‘knowingly’ required for felonious assault and murder under Ohio law. 

The prosecution contended that based on the totality of Smith’s actions and the evidence of his knowledge that the results which occurred were foreseeable and probable, therefore rising to the level of felony murder in Ohio. 

Judge Kuhn agreed, finding Smith guilty of all four counts of murder (as a result of felonious assault) along with 33 other counts. He was found not guilty on only three lower-level felonies and two misdemeanor counts. Judge Kuhn then imposed four consecutive 15 year-life imprisonment sentences on Smith, ordering that each run consecutive to one another for a total sentence of 60 years-life. All other charges were ordered to run concurrently. 

“The end result is that Smith will be 82-years-old before he is eligible to file for parole under Ohio law,” Tieman said.