Killer to Be Sentenced in 1989 Shooting Death

The man who fatally shot a Sun Valley woman as she celebrated her 22nd birthday and then eluded police for years will be sentenced today in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Gregory Smith, 40, could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison for murdering Marie Thorne, who was executed as she sat in a car with her companion. Police said the killing stemmed from an old drug deal with the companion.

Thorne had been celebrating her birthday on April 25, 1989, at Carlos n’ Charlie’s, a popular nightclub, when she ran into Shanon Thames, whom she had once dated. During the evening, Smith approached the couple and demanded $40,000 from Thames, Thames testified.

“He just asked me did I drop some money off,” Thames said. “We . . . got into each other’s face.”

Eventually, Smith backed off, and at 2 a.m. Thorne and Thames headed home. When they stopped at a nearby gas station, Smith drove up, walked to the couple and knelt by the passenger window, Thames testified.

“I didn’t even see the gun,” Thames said. “Shots started ringing out. . . . I remember opening up the door and falling into the street.”

Thorne was shot five times in the chest. Thames was hit four times.

Bleeding profusely and fading in and out of consciousness, Thames made what he thought was a death-bed statement, naming his killer, according to court papers.

LAPD Det. Dennis Kilcoyne was assigned to the case, but could never find Smith. Then two years ago, Smith, also known as Gregory Augborne, was serving a four-year prison sentence for drugs in Riverside County when he was connected to the shootings.

Kilcoyne said in an interview that Smith shot Thames over a drug deal and executed Thorne so there would be no witnesses.

Kilcoyne said that the shooting had its roots in the late 1980s, when Thames worked for Smith, who ran a crack house and was then one of the most prosperous and ruthless drug dealers around. But their relationship eventually soured, Kilcoyne said.

Thames, who ran a rental car service, had provided Smith with a white stretch limousine to go to Northern California. While driving on the Golden State Freeway, a truck driver saw someone in the limousine holding a gun and contacted the California Highway Patrol, Kilcoyne said.

Officers stopped the limousine nine miles south of Los Banos, arrested the four occupants, confiscated several weapons and two satchels--one filled with $2.2 million worth of cocaine, the other with $160,000 in cash.

Smith blamed Thames for the arrest, and on that April night in 1989, he decided to collect on his debt, Kilcoyne said.

Marie Thorne had moved with her family to Los Angeles in the early 1970s because her mother wanted them to be in the movies. Photo albums show the mother, Donna Thorne, standing next to stars such as Martin Sheen and Morgan Freeman. She had a modest success, landing bit parts on network television and producing shows for cable access channels.