BREAKING: The Husband and Stepdaughter Arrested For Killing Good Samaritan Woman Initially Believed To Be Killed By a Panhandler!😒
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The husband and stepdaughter of Jacquelyn Smith, the woman killed after her husband said she was murdered while giving out money to a panhandler from her car window, have been arrested for her death, police said Sunday in a press conference.
Mayor Pugh releases a statement Sunday saying the City and BPD have learned Jacquelyn Smith was killed by family members, in a “staged brutal killing,”
“Like everyone in our city, state and across this nation, we mourned the senseless killing of Jacquelyn Smith. To now learn that family members staged this brutal killing is beyond belief and represents a double tragedy. They were responsible for taking Jacquelyn’s life with unconscionable cruelty and contrived to do so in our city under the guise of random violence, exploiting the legitimate fears of our residents. I commend our homicide detectives for their expert and tireless work in bringing those truly responsible to justice in this very troubling and sad case.
Keith Smith, Jacquelyn’s husband, and Valeria Smith, her stepdaughter, were arrested by Texas state police in Harlingen, near the Mexican border while trying to leave the country, acting Baltimore police commissioner said.
Warrants charging them with first-degree murder were issued Sunday, Harrison said.
Jacquelyn Smith, 54, an engineer at Aberdeen Proving Ground, was stabbed to death at North Valley and East Chase streets about 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 1, police said.
Smith’s husband claimed she was stabbed while she was helping a panhandler.
Her husband and his daughter spoke at a news conference at the scene days after the stabbing, saying it had been a man who approached after she had rolled down her window to hand money to a woman allegedly begging in the rain with a baby.
“Snatched her necklace, and before I knew it, the girl snatched the little pocketbook from the seat and they both ran,” Keith added. “I jumped out the car to run, but I heard my wife screaming, so I came back to the car.”
Police had previously said they believe she was giving cash to a woman asking for money to feed her baby, when a man approached the car window, pulled out a knife, stabbed her in the chest, and robbed her.
Smith’s friends told WJZ’s Devin Bartolotta the day after her murder they didn’t believe the story, and thought her husband had killed her.
Acting commissioner Michael Harrison said in this case, people took advantage of Baltimore.
“The information and the evidence points to it was not a panhandler, and people should still take caution and use due diligence when doing anything like that anywhere they are in America, but it points to the fact that it was not a panhandler and that the circumstances were very different and people took advantage of Baltimore, and what we want to make sure is that the truth comes out and justice is served,”
There is no word on when the two suspects will be extradited.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said she was disappointed that the two suspects had tried to take advantage of the city.
“I’m disappointed that the two alleged suspects attempted to take advantage of negative perceptions of our city. I’m grateful for the collaborative efforts of my prosecutors and the Baltimore Police Department in getting to the bottom of a contrived and disturbing tragedy. We look forward to fighting for justice on behalf of Jacquelyn Smith and her family in a court of law,” Mosby said.
This story is developing.
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