Local News in Brief : ‘Onion Field’ Killer Jailed

Convicted “Onion Field” murderer Jimmie Lee Smith was ordered jailed for 180 days after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of a hypodermic needle.

Smith, 57, was arrested in November for allegedly driving under the influence of an opiate after he was stopped for a traffic violation in Burbank. He was sentenced by Municipal Court Commissioner Alan S. Kalkin.

Smith has been on parole since March, 1987, after serving three years for a 1984 conviction on possession of heroin for sale.

Convicted with Gregory Ulas Powell for shooting an officer in an onion field in 1963, Smith served 19 years and was released on parole in 1982. Powell is serving a life term.

The case was made famous by Joseph Wambaugh’s 1973 novel “The Onion Field.”