Smith, Orma Belle

When Orma Smith, 94, was asked to what she attributed her long life, she said she guessed her task in life just wasn’t finished yet. Orma came from Greeley to Longmont in 1926 after marrying Arthur Smith. She taught school and worked as a librarian. Orma was a Christian Scientist. Orma was active and followed a routine which took her out into Longmont almost daily. Because of a foot problem, she often accepted rides from people she knew. Apparently some insurance salesmen who preyed on older women had borrowed money from Orma. She was last seen in Longmont on July 9, 1982. Her body was found the next day, lying face down in a stream along a U.S. Forest Service access road in Big Elk Meadows about two and one-half miles west of U.S. 36. She had been slashed and stabbed to death. Orma died from a knife wound in the neck. The list of suspects was eventually narrowed to two: Dan Wood, the insurance man who owed Orma substantial money; and John W. Agrue who lived next door to her and frequently gave her rides. Later, Agrue was arrested and convicted of a knife attack on a 26-year-old student in Boulder. He eventually served one year. Agrue served twelve years in an Illinois prison for a 1966 knife slaying of a relative. He had been sentenced to 50 to 100 years for the murder but his sentence was reduced. When Agrue died in Illinois in 2009, police took DNA from his body. It matched DNA on Smith’s clothing. Larimer County Sheriff says Agrue killed Orma Smith.