Cheyenne Police investigation leads to arrest in double homicide at coin shop | News

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the 2015 double murder that occurred at the Coin Shop in downtown Cheyenne.

Yesterday morning, Cheyenne Police Detectives, with assistance from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office (California), arrested Douglas Smith, age 68, of McCloud, California, on a warrant for two counts of first-degree murder.

Smith is now awaiting extradition from California to Cheyenne.

Case background: On July 20, 2015, Cheyenne Police officers responded to a report of a shooting and robbery at the Coin Shop at 510 West Lincolnway.

The police found two victims with obvious gunshot wounds.

George Manley, 76, and Dwight Brockman, 67, both of Cheyenne, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Their deaths were ruled homicide.

The investigation has been ongoing since 2015 and has been assigned to five different case investigators and one civilian.

In March 2023, Cheyenne Police detectives re-examined the evidence in the murder case with the goal of developing additional investigative recommendations and determining whether newly available technology would provide more clues to solving the case.

“When I was hired as police chief three years ago, I learned about the Coin Shop murder and decided to make it a priority,” said Police Chief Mark Francisco. “Cases like this can be very challenging because there are many layers of evidence. Our investigators have worked diligently for nearly a decade and, through detailed analysis, have been able to carefully re-examine the evidence to bring those responsible to justice.”

Case review and partnerships: Since 2023, over 1,500 hours of work have been done on the case.

Hundreds of tips, emails and letters were evaluated.

With the assistance of partner law enforcement agencies, additional warrant service operations and interviews were also conducted in California and Colorado.

The cost of travel, testing and exams during this period is approximately $11,106.

The Cheyenne Police Department has also regularly worked with federal, state and local partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Laramie County District Attorney’s Office, Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Based on their investigation, detectives believe that Douglas Smith, the original 911 caller, killed Manley and Brockman on July 20.

The case has now been handed over to the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

“I want to thank our team of investigators for their tireless work and dedication in building a solid case. I also want to thank the District Attorney’s Office who worked tirelessly to prosecute the case,” said Police Chief Mark Francisco. “Strong partnerships resulted in an arrest that brings our community one step closer to solving the case.”

Laramie County District Attorney Sylvia Hackl said, “I have been aware of this crime since it was committed and have followed the investigation ever since. I appreciate the diligent work of our investigators in bringing this suspect to justice.”