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Jury: Smith guilty of murder, kidnapping and sexual battery in Cherish Perrywinkle case

GUILTY VERDICT: The jury took 14 minutes to find Donald Smith guilty of murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery of Cherish Perrywinkle. The penalty phase will begin on Tuesday.

LIST: Six things we learned after two days of the Cherish Perrywinkle trial 

READ: A glimpse inside of the mind of accused child killer Donald Smith

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LATEST: Graphic testimony details moments before Cherish Perrywinkle's death

11:41 a.m. The jury finds Donald Smith guilty of kidnapping, sexual battery and murder. Smith had little reaction as the guilty verdicts were read.

11:30 a.m. The jury has reached a verdict. Cherish's mother Rayne Perrywinkle is being brought into the courtroom.

11:16 a.m. The jury has officially begun deliberating after a brief delay.

UPDATES: Quotes from Prosecutor Mark Caliel during Wednesday's closing arguments: 

“He (Donald Smith) made her feel safe with his lies and deception and then he preyed upon her. That little girl had to endure a nightmare no child should have to endure. If you have anger inside of you, it’s not because of what I said or (State Attorney Melissa) Nelson said. It’s because of what you saw. It’s because of what he did.

Caliel told jurors that Smith asked Dollar General assistant manager if they sold adult magazines, then “loitered” because he saw Cherish Perrywinkle and her family.

“He saw that she was down on her luck and money was tight. She’s debating whether to buy or not buy a $7 dress at Dollar General. Sometimes in this world, we like to think that there is goodness in man. And that day, Rayne Perrywinkle hoped that his intentions were true and pure.”

“He looks like a harmless old man. Little did she know what lurked beneath the surface.

“’Cheeseburgers.’ That’s the last word Rayne Perrywinkle got to say to her little girl.”

“The true killer of Cherish Perrywinkle sits across the courtroom from you right now. Those are the facts. They are undisputed. They are overwhelming. So, what do you do with those facts?

Caliel replayed a jail recording of  Donald Smith two years after Perrywinkle’s murder. Caliel also reminded the jury about the autopsy photos that were shown in the courtroom.

"I can publish these photos. You’ll have them back in the jury room. But I suspect you never want to look at these photographs again ... Those images will forever be a part of you. They will forever be a part of your memory, burned into your memory.”

“I want you to remember what he did to her. How he strangled the life from her body. Three minutes… that’s how long it took at a minimum to take her life, while she fought.”

“Through that evidence, she has a voice. And from the grave, she is crying out to you.

“This defendant took from that little girl everything that is innocent and pure, and then he took her life. Now it’s time to hold him accountable for what he did.”

FROM 2015: A glimpse inside of the mind of accused child killer Donald Smith

Verdict reached in Perrywinkle trial

UPDATE: Donald Smith has been found GUILTY of murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery. --------------- BREAKING: The jury has reached a verdict in the Cherish Perrywinkle murder trial less than 15 minutes after jurors were given the case. 📱 WATCH LIVE COVERAGE: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/s/livestream Prosecutor in Perrywinkle closing argument: 'From the grave, she is crying out' http://bit.ly/2BtpVus

Posted by Action News Jax on Wednesday, February 14, 2018