American woman was 'raped then murdered by a porn-watching 19-year-old shepherd' after he shot her husband and four-year-old son in front of her on a July 4th sightseeing trip in Tbilisi

 19-year-old shepherd Malkhaz Kobauri has been charged with murdering the Smith family

An American woman was raped then murdered by a shepherd in ex-Soviet state Georgia after she was forced to watch the man shoot dead her husband and four year old son, say prosecutors.

The killer had logged onto pornographic websites before staging his attack, it is alleged.

The horrific case is due to go to trial but it was earlier believed Lora Joy Smith had died falling off a cliff as she fled the crime scene in the Khata Gorge, 52 miles from Tbilisi.

Now investigators - working with the assistance of the FBI - have said there is forensic evidence that 19-year-old shepherd Malkhaz Kobauri raped the terrified mother after killing her husband Ryan, and the couple's young son Caleb.

Then he murdered the 42 year old woman in 'aggravating circumstances', forcing her off a cliff at gunpoint, it is alleged.

The shepherd had been showing the family to a scenic waterfall on July 4.

The Smith family were murdered on July 4 and new evidence suggests that Lora, 42, was raped by 19-year-old shepherd Malkhaz Kobauri after she shot dead Ryan, 43 and Caleb, 4

An argument ensured after 43 year old Ryan - who like his wife had joint US and Georgian citizenship - told Kobauri to take care with the hunting rifle he was carrying, say Georgian prosecutors.

The 'irritated' shepherd then shot the husband in the back and face.

Next he shot dead the child.

New charges have been made against Kobauri that he raped the wife despite his defence's claims that he was incapable of having sex and was a virgin.

'The investigation found that before the incident, Malkhaz Kobauri had been visiting pornographic websites, which underlines his interest in this regard,' said prosecutor David Kazarashvili.

DNA tests found the shepherd's sperm was found in the body of the victim and on her underwear, said reports citing law enforcement.

Shortly after the results were declared the man's lawyer David Girgvliani quit the case.

The defendant's new lawyer Lekso Kobaidze insists his client is innocent, and he retracted an earlier confession.

He claimed 'two foreigners' killed the family.

His mother Mariam Martiashvili claimed her son was forced to confess.

Prosecutors say Kobauri showed police where the child's body was hidden.

If convicted in next month's jury trial he faces a life sentence.

Ryan, originally from San Diego, California, and Lora Smith had been living in Georgia's eastern Marneuli city for more than 10 years.

They ran a business founded by Ryan called ReWoven, that creates traditional, handcrafted Azerbaijani woven carpets. 

Each carpet costs more than $1,000 and they have been sold all over the world.  

According to the company's website, Ryan left the US for Azerbaijan in 2002 because of his 'passion for travel and a love for people of other cultures'. 

While living in the capital of Baku he started working in the rug market and was inspired to start his own rug weaving business.

Ryan left Azerbaijan in December 2005 and came back to the US where he met and married his wife. The couple then moved to Georgia where Ryan started ReWoven. 

His wife Lora had been a teacher in Washington state but later worked as an English teacher through a Georgian government program.   

The Smiths were 'well respected' members of the local and expat community.