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Man convicted of murdering his wife, a killing he blamed on panhandlers

Jurors found Keith Smith guilty of first-degree murder in the 2018 stabbing death of his wife, Jacquelyn Smith in East Baltimore.

Published

3 years ago

December 11, 2021

Unheard Voices Staff

Keith Smith

Keith Smith, the Maryland man suspected of killing his wife three years ago and blaming her murder on a panhandler, was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder.

Jurors found Keith Tyrone Smith, 55, of Aberdeen guilty of first-degree murder and deadly weapon with intent to injure in the 2018 stabbing death of his wife, Jacquelyn Smith, following a week-long trial.

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Wife murdered

Jacquelyn Smith, an engineer for Aberdeen Proving Ground, was fatally stabbed Dec. 1, 2018. Her husband called 911 that night, saying his wife had been stabbed by a panhandler in East Baltimore.

Jacquelyn Smith

Keith and his daughter Valeria Smith, made a tearful plea to catch the killers of Jacquelyn, only for prosecutors to find out they were in on it.

By then, the father daughter duo had fled town after his wife’s murder. They were arrested three months later near the U.S.-Mexico border, roughly 1,700 miles from Maryland.

Valeria Smith pleaded guilty in September 2019 to accessory in exchange to testify against her father, who she says masterminded the whole thing.

Keith Smith trial

During the trial, Valeria recalled in detail the events that unfolded the night of her stepmother’s murder. She said they were out celebrating a belated birthday when her father took a detour to Druid Hill Park. At some point, she said, he slowed down and stabbed his wife.

She testified that her father was calm afterward, but his demeanor changed when he called 911. She told the court that once her father discarded the murder weapon, a knife, in the woods, he told her to lie to police and say a panhandler stabbed his wife.

A day or two after the murder, she said, her father went to his wife’s workplace to get paperwork for her life insurance policy. He was the beneficiary.

A special agent with the FBI also took the stand, saying Google and cellphone data placed both Smith and his daughter in Druid Hill Park at the time of the murder, not in East Baltimore as Smith claimed.

Valeria Smith will be sentenced Dec. 13.

Her father, Keith Smith faces a maximum sentence of life in prison plus three years at sentencing on Feb. 28.

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Related Topics:Baltimore Jacquelyn Smith Keith Smith Maryland

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Unheard Voices Staff

Unheard Voices is an award-winning news magazine that started in 2004 as a local Black newsletter in the Asbury Park, Neptune, and Long Branch, NJ areas to now broaden into a recognized Black online media outlet. They are the recipient of the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and CV Magazine's Innovator Award for Best Social Justice Communications Company.

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5-year-old helps save his family from house fire

5-year-old Juwan Perry Jr. is being held a hero after saving his family from a house fire. Juwan’s mom says if it wasn’t for her son they likely wouldn’t have survived.

Published

6 months ago

April 27, 2024

Unheard Voices Staff

5-year-old saves family from fire in Warren Michigan

Brittany Lee hugs her son Juwan (Photo Source: WXYZ-TV/CBS Detroit)

5-year-old Juwan Perry Jr is being held a hero after alerting his mother to a house fire, saving his family lives.

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5-year-old saves family

On Apr. 5th around 4:40 am, Juwan woke up to the smell of smoke in his home in Warren, Michigan.

He said he saw flames and called for his mother.

His screams came just in time, and his mom Brittany was able to get all seven of the children in the home outside to safety.

Juwan’s mom says if it wasn’t for her son they likely wouldn’t have survived.

As for Juwan, he told WXYZ-TV his motivation for helping save his family despite the fear. “Because I love everybody,” he said.

The Warren Fire Department got the fire under control but the home is a total loss.

To help in recovering from this devastating loss, a GoFundMe has been launched to support them during this challenging time.

News

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake strikes northeastern United States

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake in Lebanon, New Jersey shook the northeastern United States on Friday morning.

Published

7 months ago

April 5, 2024

Unheard Voices Staff

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook the northeastern United States on Friday morning.

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Magnitude 4.8 earthquake

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was detected near Lebanon, New Jersey, at 10:23 a.m. Friday.

The earthquake was felt in New Hampshire down to Maryland.

Notable event

According to the Richter scale, which is used to measure earthquake magnitude, they considered the event a “light” earthquake. Still, the geological survey posted on X that it was “notable.” They went on further to say earthquakes are “uncommon but not unheard of along the Atlantic Coast”.

It’s not yet clear if anyone was hurt in Friday’s quake.

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9-year-old cancer survivor killed in tragic school bus accident

A family is in mourning after a 9-year-old cancer survivor was tragically killed in an accident in Orlando.

Published

10 months ago

January 19, 2024

Unheard Voices Staff

9-year-old cancer survivor killed by school bus Elyas Amyr Marshall-Rodriguez

Elyas Amyr Marshall-Rodriguez (Photo Source: GoFundMe)

A family is in mourning after a 9-year-old cancer survivor was tragically killed in an accident in Orlando, Florida.

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9-year-old cancer survivor tragically killed

Elyas Amyr Marshall-Rodriguez got off the bus Tuesday afternoon and, as he was walking away from the bus, he dropped his football when he crawled under the bus to get it and the vehicle began moving.

Marshall-Rodriguez was in remission for leukemia when he was killed on Tuesday after being diagnosed at 2-years-old, according to his family who spoke at his vigil.