Jogger uses martial arts training to fight off teen who planned to strangle him to death
Jogger uses his martial arts training to fight off 18-year-old man who planned to strangle him with a robe belt and keep his body in a closet to ‘fulfil his sexual fantasies’
- Logan Smith, 18, charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to strangle male jogger as part of sexually motivated murder plot
- Smith was arrested in Cocoa, Florida, on Monday, after his victim overpowered him using martial arts training and detained him until deputies arrived
- Smith allegedly admitted that he had been watching the jogger for weeks before deciding to ambush him
- Smith told cops he was planning to hit victim with a mallet, blind him with Axe deodorant and strangle him to death with robe belt, affidavit alleges
- Rest of the plot included dragging victim’s body on bed sheet into a bedroom closet so he could ‘play with the victim to fulfill his sexual fantasies’
- Smith complained that he got ‘unlucky’ because jogger was stronger that him
A Florida teenager has been arrested on an attempted murder charge for allegedly ambushing a jogger he had been stalking for weeks and trying to strangle him with a belt as part of a twisted plan to stash his lifeless body in a closet to fulfill his sexual fantasies.
But according to court documents, 18-year-old Logan Smith’s murderous plot failed when the victim turned the tables on him by using his martial arts training to fight him off and detain the suspect until help arrived.
Responding deputies discovered at the scene some of the items that Smith had gathered in preparation for the attack on the unsuspecting jogger, including a belt, a mallet, deodorant spray and a bed sheet.
Logan Smith, 18, has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to strangle a male jogger as part of a twisted sexually motivated murder plot
Smith has been accused of ambushing the victim in the 7400 block of Batavia Avenue in Cocoa, Florida (pictured) on Monday
Smith was booked into the Brevard County jail on Monday on a felony count of attempted murder and was ordered held without bond.
A probable cause affidavit alleges that sheriff’s deputies arrived in the area of Batavia Avenue and Kings Highway in Cocoa at around 1am on Monday for a report of a battery.
According to the document, Smith had spread a bed sheet in the driveway of his home, and armed himself with a rubber mallet, an aerosol can of Axe deodorant and a clothing belt.
Smith allegedly armed himself with a can of Axe deodorant, which he planned to spray in the eyes of the victim to blind him (stock photo)
Smith then hid behind a light pole across the street and waited for the victim to come running down the street, as he did regularly for exercise, a deputy wrote in the affidavit.
As soon as the jogger ran past the light pole, Smith allegedly followed him and tossed the belt over his head until it was in front of his neck.
‘The defendant proceeded to pull the ligature tight around the victim’s neck for several seconds which caused visible physical injury to the victim,’ according to the affidavit.
But the jogger quickly realized what was happening and fought back, eventually overpowering the 5-foot-10, 200-pound teenager.
When deputies responded to the scene, the jogger told them that he typically runs about four times a week and has never met Smith, seen him or spoken to him.
The man further stated that on Monday, he was jogging with his earbuds in listening to music when ‘out of nowhere he realized he was being “choked,”‘ according to the filing. ‘The victim immediately realized what was happening and reverted to his martial arts training.’
During his interview with law enforcement, Smith allegedly said that he first saw the jogger about six weeks prior and began watching his exercise routine.
The 18-year-old admitted to the detectives that he decided to kill the stranger after watching a movie ‘which showed very violent acts of murder and other homicidal scenes,’ the affidavit stated, without naming the specific film.
Smith allegedly planned to use the mallet to hit the victim and the Axe deodorant to spray him in the eyes to disable his vision, before strangling him with the belt and then dragging his body on the sheet into his bedroom.
Responding deputies also found a rubber mallet, which Smith had brought along, allegedly planning to hit the jogger before strangling him with a belt
‘He further planned to place the victim’s body into his closet where the defendant stated no one would know and the defendant could have the victim’s body all to himself,’ the document read.
The 18-year-old added that ‘he also planned to play with the victim to fulfill his sexual fantasies.’
Smith was said to have proclaimed that he had every intention to carry out his sexually motivated homicidal plot but ‘he got unlucky because the victim was stronger that he was,’ according to the filing.
Smith is scheduled to be arranged on February 10. If convicted as charge, he could face up to a life in prison.
