Photo: Getty ImagesA convicted drug dealer was found guilty on Monday (local time) of voluntary manslaughter in the death of a Hollywood studio executive who was missing for more than two years before his remains were found buried in the California desert. John Lenzie Creech (44) was convicted by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury after a two-week trial. The film studio issued a statement expressing concern about his disappearance, while family members posted a $US20,000 reward, saying the 6-foot-6-inch (1.98m) ex-athlete with "movie star" looks should be easy to spot. Smith's black Mercedes-Benz was found in February 2013 at a storage facility in the Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley. In October 2014, hikers stumbled across a skull and other bones belonging to the missing studio executive in a shallow grave in the Angeles National Forest, 64km east of Los Angeles.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 05, 2017 00:00 UTC