Murder charges filed for fatal stabbing at Renaissance Festival

07:47 PM CDT on Sunday, October 17, 2004

By Mike Zientek / 11 News

A 19-year-old Montgomery County man is in jail, accused of murdering a Navy sailor home on leave.
It happened at the Texas Renaissance Festival Saturday night in Grimes County.

Thousands came out on a muggy Sunday for a trip back in time, courtesy of the Texas Renaissance Festival.

Revelers included Ida Trotter and much of her extended family. "There's a whole lot of magic here. We enjoy that. The fairies, the crystals, everything's just magic and life," said Trotter.

But on the 55-acre tract of medieval festivities, there was much talk about a tragic incident Saturday night.

"It happens everywhere. It's kind of sad to hear that it did," said Al Skinner, festival visitor.

The Grimes County Sheriff said 23-year-old Brandon Smith and his sister were walking through the parking lot, and someone made a remark about his sister that he didn't like and a fight broke out. Brandon smith was stabbed 19 times.

He died shortly after a helicopter flew him to a Conroe Hospital.

Smith and his sister Kristin were both home on leave from the Navy and were just out enjoying themselves.

By late afternoon, the Grimes County Sheriff was confident of an arrest. "We've developed some good suspect information and I believe we'll have an arrest sometime this evening," said Sheriff Dan Sowell.

He had it an hour later and 19-year-old Brent Noland of Montgomery County was charged with murder after turning himself in. Detectives said they found blood in his truck.

As the Renaissance Festival went on, Brandon Smith's mother said all her son ever wanted to do was help people.

Now she wants justice for the person who turned an evening of fun into something foul.

Grimes County investigators are still looking for other men who were with the suspect.

Renaissance Festival officials said this was the first time anyone had died in the event's 30-year history.

www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou041017_gj_trfstabbing.9867df0.html

Thank You Brandon & Kristin Smith for serving.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Brandon Smith's family.

only thought i have for the scum is!

man when i heard this i just looked  at my wife,

she wanted to go real bad, i didnt



even if i didnt go something like this ruins it for eveyone

Young and dumb 19 year old idiot.

He must have thought he was some kind of badass.

Oh well,  He'll soon be rooming with bubba in the clink for the rest of his life!!

I got to explain the renfest mentality..
If you go to the renfest you will get harassed.  (half of us go to the renfest to get harassed).  If you see a cute girl walking down the street you might be inclined to holler something to her.  Either She or a companion hollers something back BUT keeps walking.  Everyone in the area stops and laughs.  Or they get mouthy.  So you both puff up and talk shit for a minute and then break up.  No harm no foul.  Again everyone in the area stops and laughs.  This is great sport and is a big part of the renfest.  What you DON’T do is lay on hands.  It get’s you ejected from the park and may get all weapons banned from the park which know one wants.  How cool will you look with your $2000.00 set of plate armor and a shield and no sword?  So be cool and everyone will be cool.  About 10% of the patrons have guns.  About 20% have swords.  There is a deputy sheriff every 50’ and they don’t play.  Granted they laugh and have a good time but you want to see a good old boy red neck deputy sheriff?  Go to TRF.  

Back to the story.  Some kid talks shit.  Some navy guy gets mad.  A fight breaks out, a knife comes out and someone dies.  It’s a shame it happened to someone in the service.    

How old or you HK940? I have been going to renfests for almost twenty years and it is big mouths like you wrote of that have spoiled so much of the fun. It is not acceptable to just run your pie hole. To any woman. Over the past 20 years we have lost our booze, food, most of our weapons, and our parties, because of a-holes who think they can come to a faire and act like a-holes. If you want to get harrassed, go down on westheimer and leave the faire to people that want to have a good time without being yelled at.

Why am I getting a picture of a bunch of drunk rednecks stepping out of F150's in pantyhose and pointy-toed shoes. Disconcerting...


lol

are you sure your talking about the same place i am?
the place that pays people to act Rude?  A woman to stand outside the restrooms and make rude comments ask you how “it all came out”?  “Bawdy wenches”, mud eaters?, fairies, Amazon women?  They all have the renfest employee badges and they start 90% of the shit that goes on their.  I just go to watch.  I have had people try to screw with be but an offhanded comment works better than getting red in the face.  

I don't go last year but the year but the year before you could buy "booze, food and weapons".  If you didn’t like the prices you could go out to the car and get toasted.  

Maybe in the last 20 years you have changed?  

ed cause i got to ask what part of it was fun for you.
i like the music, some of the shows but stay away from the games and Junk vendors.

Quoted: Why am I getting a picture of a bunch of drunk rednecks stepping out of F350's in pantyhose and pointy-toed shoes. Disconcerting... lol

fixed it for ya

 

That's too good and fast for him.  Stab his ass to death 20 times.    

God bless Brandon Smith (U.S.N.).    

Colt_SBR    

Quoted: Quoted: I got to explain the renfest mentality.. If you go to the renfest you will get harassed.  (half of us go to the renfest to get harassed).  If you see a cute girl walking down the street you might be inclined to holler something to her.  Either She or a companion hollers something back BUT keeps walking.  Everyone in the area stops and laughs.  Or they get mouthy.  So you both puff up and talk shit for a minute and then break up.  No harm no foul.  Again everyone in the area stops and laughs.  This is great sport and is a big part of the renfest.  What you DON’T do is lay on hands.  It get’s you ejected from the park and may get all weapons banned from the park which know one wants.  How cool will you look with your $2000.00 set of plate armor and a shield and no sword?  So be cool and everyone will be cool.  About 10% of the patrons have guns.  About 20% have swords.  There is a deputy sheriff every 50’ and they don’t play.  Granted they laugh and have a good time but you want to see a good old boy red neck deputy sheriff?  Go to TRF.   Back to the story.  Some kid talks shit.  Some navy guy gets mad.  A fight breaks out, a knife comes out and someone dies.  It’s a shame it happened to someone in the service.     I've never seen this kind of behavior at the Rennaissance Festival near me in NY and I worked there years ago, this kind of behavior would get you thrown out, and back in the day, roughed up and thrown out. I have kind of thought that the combination of knives, swords etc and free flowing booze could be a problem at these, though honestly I don't remember anything terribly bad happening and the past few times I have been there there was MUCH less drinking than there used to be.

People were worried when we got CHL that people would be having shootouts in the streets but none happened.  Sober or drunk know one wants to get 3’ of steel shoved into their guts.  There are unwritten rules.  The first and most important don’t lay on hands!  Don’t screw with folks that are drunk or not “into it”.  be ready to back off if it starts to turn ugly.        


The above “mouthy” behavior is an extreme rarity.  When it does happen it’s funny and while it’s a big part of the fest not why most people go.  

People throw away their lives over the dumbest things. Darwin rules I guess.

In the old days, running your pie hole would get you skewered, either with sword of musket ball.

Quoted: I got to explain the renfest mentality.. If you go to the renfest you will get harassed.  (half of us go to the renfest to get harassed).

Oh yeah, that sounds like a great time
Thanks for the explanation, this cured any urge I had to drive up there some weekend.  Just another example of how people's conduct has degraded to the lowest common denominator these days.  The assholes will have Ren Fair to to themselves soon if they don't already.

Quoted: How old or you HK940? I have been going to renfests for almost twenty years and it is big mouths like you wrote of that have spoiled so much of the fun. It is not acceptable to just run your pie hole. To any woman. Over the past 20 years we have lost our booze, food, most of our weapons, and our parties, because of a-holes who think they can come to a faire and act like a-holes. If you want to get harrassed, go down on westheimer and leave the faire to people that want to have a good time without being yelled at.

Been going there for 20 year also  and could not agree with you more