Murder With My Husband - 124. Jacquelyn Smith - The Baltimore Murder

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey everybody welcome back to our podcast. This is Murder with my husband. I'm Peyton Marlon. And I'm Garrett Marlon. And he's the husband. Okay so this time we have actually finished with the live. We did it. It was awesome. It was amazing. Again, thank you to everyone who came. Everyone who supported. It was such a fun night. Okay, if you were on our live, you most likely saw a sneak peek of one of the upcoming merch designs we have. I mean, people were kind of commenting it in the live feed because I was wearing it, but we have a drop coming.

Starting point is 00:00:31 It should be a week from now. We have one of the designs dropping. It wasn't the one I was wearing on the live, but it's another great one. So kind of stay tuned and be ready for that. And just for reminder, those will only be up for, usually like a week or two, which is kind of limited drops and they're super fun. We're really excited about this one. We've been working on some new merch designs for a while.

Starting point is 00:00:51 We know merch has been kind of delaying, so we're excited to get this going. Cool. All right. Are you ready for your 10 seconds? 10 seconds. We'll pay it and I just got back from raising canes. So that was really good. Also, I just ceramic coated my car. So we'll see how that turns out. I've mentioned this before, but I don't want to my car, so we'll see how that turns out. I've mentioned this before, but I don't wanna say I'm turning into a sneaker head because I don't think I can claim myself as a sneaker head yet.

Starting point is 00:01:12 I'm not really in that group, but if anyone has any ideas on some new shoes I should get, let me know. Preferably a new pair of Nike dunk lows, but I don't know exactly which one's. How about can you do a custom murder with my husband? That would be pretty cool. If we could do murder with my husband, Nike's.

Starting point is 00:01:32 Yeah. That would be sick. I'd wear like MWMH. Yeah. That would be sweet. If anyone has a hookup for that, let me know. That would be so cool. Just reminder, our Apple podcast subscription

Starting point is 00:01:42 and Patreon is all ad-free. I think there were some issues for a second with Apple not being ad-free, and Patreon is all ad-free. I think there were some issues for a second with Apple not being ad-free, but it's all ad-free now, so everything should be fixed. If you're interested in that, you can check those out, link in the description. Other than that, I think we can hop right into it. Cool. All right, our case sources are abcnews.go.com, baltimoreson.com, foxbaltimore.com,2news.com, www.wpri.com, www.cbsnews, www.cv.com, www.cbsnews, www.cv.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews.com,

Starting point is 00:02:18 www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.wp. Okay, source these days, doesn't it? Yeah, that's because you're always coming at me with those How far away is it? So I really have to look it up now. I know. So our case begins on December 1st, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is a major seaport city in Maryland and according to the United States Census Bureau in 2018 Baltimore's population was 614,700. It appears that the population has actually been declining since then. It's approximately 1227am when a 52-year-old man named Keith Smith frantically calls 911. He reports that he and his 54-year-old wife were driving his 28-year-old daughter home

Starting point is 00:03:06 when a panhandler, his words, stabbed his wife while she was attempting to give him money. He explains to the operator that they are at a stop sign on the corner of Valley and Chase Street. While on the phone, Keith is rushing his wife to the Johns Hopkins hospital, a little over a mile from where Keith claimed the attack happened.

Starting point is 00:03:28 At 12.34 a.m. on December 1st, 2018, officers from the Baltimore Police Department arrive at Johns Hopkins Hospital where Keith has taken his wife. At 12.48 a.m. after trying to save her life, hospital doctors pronounced his wife dead from the stab wounds. She had been murdered. His wife was named Jacqueline Smith, but who are Jacqueline and Keith? And how and why does a random man stab a woman to death in front of her husband and stepdaughter? Jacqueline Ann Smith was born on July 4th, 1964. She was 54 years old at the time of her murder on December 1st. As noted in her obituary, Jackie will be forever remembered as loving, giving, intelligent, independent, strong-minded, and witty. Jacqueline grew up in

Starting point is 00:04:19 Rhode Island, and that's where her mother still lives. She was well-educated and attended Catholic schools growing up. According to Jacqueline's sister, Yvonne, Jacqueline always made the honor roll in school. She was very smart. She was a hard worker and is quoted in WRPRI.com. Her sister said that Jacqueline loved music. She loved poetry and she was just overall

Starting point is 00:04:42 a very happy child. After graduation, Jacqueline attended North Carolina A&T State University. Jacqueline eventually went on to be an electrical engineer, which to me, that's like hard. That is hard work. She worked as an engineer at Aberdeen Proving Ground, a US Army research facility, roughly 37 miles northeast of Baltimore Baltimore according to Oxygen.com Jacqueline had two adult sons at the time of the attack. Obviously neither were with her They were ages 19 and 25 her sons are Kendall and David Hood and she was very proud of them

Starting point is 00:05:19 She firmly believed in higher education for herself and her children And one of her sons was actually at the University of Maryland prior to the murder. And I believe this was David, who was only 19 at the time, a sophomore in college. Jacklin's other son, I believe that would be Kendall, graduated from a university in Pennsylvania and is now with the US Coast Guard. Now, as in now and time or now back then now back then at the story. Okay. There's also another report that both are actually still now to this day employed by the US Coast Guard, but obviously I didn't dig into

Starting point is 00:05:53 their life. Yeah. So Jacqueline was known to be a wonderful mother to her boys. Her life really is going together. And I can't find any information about who Jacqueline's first husband, the father of her two boys are, all I can see is a reference to a failed marriage. According to WPRI.com, Jacqueline and her first husband had moved around a bit living in Germany and San Francisco during their marriage. So Keith Smith, her husband, is reportedly from Baltimore. He was 52 at the time of his wife's murder. He was a truck driver from US lumber.

Starting point is 00:06:27 And apparently he too had been married before and had a daughter, Valeria Smith, from this previous marriage. Now Valeria was the stepdaughter that was in the car with her stepmom and dad during the attack. Jacqueline and Keith Smith were married in 2014. And like I said, it was a second marriage for both of them. The couple lived in Aberdeen about 26 miles north east of Baltimore.

Starting point is 00:06:51 They would be married for only four years before that dreadful day that Jacqueline was murdered. So back to the hospital, Keith told police that he was driving Jacqueline and his daughter, Valeria, home after a birthday celebration for Valeria. And Valeria was sitting in the back seat. He said that they were driving down Valley Street in East Baltimore and he claimed that some panhandlers were out on the corner of the street and so he pulled over so that Jacqueline could open her window and give them $10.

Starting point is 00:07:21 This was Jacqueline's idea. She was like, it's cold outside, it's dark, let's give them $10. This was Jacqueline's idea. She was like, it's cold outside, it's dark. Let's give them some money. There was a female panhandler standing there appearing to be holding a baby, which is another reason why Jacqueline's asked her husband to pull the car over. And then a male panhandler came up and attacked Jacqueline while she was giving the female panhandler money.

Starting point is 00:07:42 According to Keith, the panhandlers went to the front passenger side of the car where Jacqueline was sitting. The male panhandler grabbed Jacqueline's necklace from around her neck and yanked it off, grabbed the wallet off her lap and then stopped her. What? Keith told police that the man asked if he could thank his wife for giving them the money,

Starting point is 00:08:02 and then at which time he reached his hand in and began stabbing her. Okay, pause for one second. Keith, at this time, didn't he just drive off? No, so his wife is... I'm not blaming him, I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. So he just says, can I thank her?

Starting point is 00:08:17 Keith says, yes, he leans in, he starts stabbing his wife, and Keith says that after the stabbing, the female in the male actually fled into an alley in the thousandth block of Valley Street and Keith was kind of panicking. It was happening so fast. He says he just put the car in park and got out of his car and chased the individuals. But then while he was chasing them, he realized that his wife was back in the car, dying, dying. And so he ran back to the car instead, got in the car called 911 and started driving to the hospital that was only about a mile away. Okay.

Starting point is 00:08:52 At 1.32 a.m. homicide detectives arrived at the hospital to begin their investigation. So Jacqueline has now since passed at the hospital. And now that's right for she died. Yes, she died at the hospital. Okay. And so now homicide detectives are arriving because this is clearly a murder. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:09:10 They transported Keith and his daughter, Valeria, to homicide at the police station so that they could give their formal statements to the detectives investigating the case. Keith now gave a more detailed account of what happened that night at the police station. He said that on November 30, 2018, he, Jacqueline and Valeria went out to celebrate Valeria's birthday. They went to the American Legion Hall that's located at 1502 Madison Avenue in Baltimore.

Starting point is 00:09:36 He said they danced, they ate dinner, they drank, and they took some photos. And after the fun night of celebration was over, Keith said that his daughter gave directions through East Baltimore back to her place so they could drop her off. So his daughter lives in Baltimore and they live outside of Baltimore. So he has to drive to Baltimore, drop the daughter off and then was

Starting point is 00:09:56 planning to head back home with his wife. It was while driving home that they first noticed the female panhandler on the thousands block of Valley streets. They pulled over to the corner. So Jacqueline could hand some money to the female through her open window. So they weren't at like a light or anything where they were stuck there, correct? No, no, they weren't at a light.

Starting point is 00:10:15 He gave the same account as he did at the hospital, but investigators couldn't help but notice one small, but significant change in his story. This time he said the male panhandler ran up and stabbed Jacqueline multiple times through the window, then grabbed her necklace from around her neck, then her wallet from her lap. At the hospital, he claimed the robbery happened first, followed by the stabbing.

Starting point is 00:10:40 So now he switched up the order that the things have happened. Now, this could be a completely innocent misremembering from a grieving husband who's probably going through the worst night of his life. Traumatized. Or this could be something else. So please don't really sit on it. They take note of it and they move on. I also thought it was kind of weird how he added that. They thanked him thing in there. Right. Right. That just seems, I don't know, seems weird. That he said the guy asked if he could thank his wife. And then that's when the

Starting point is 00:11:08 stabbing happened. Yeah, I just, I know something seems off. Right. So Keith said the female panhandlers hands never went inside the car. So she never actually went in the car. It was only the male who went in, grabbed this stuff and stabbed his wife. And he saw the two suspects run away together on foot. So after getting this statement, the police went to the location where Keith said the murder happened. This would still be in the middle of the night.

Starting point is 00:11:34 It's still dark up, but they're like, we need to go see this location. Maybe they're still hanging around like we need to go. And it was during this time that police were unable to locate an actual crime scene, related evidence, witnesses, or video surveillance footage that supported initial statements given by Keith Smith and his daughter, Valeria Smith. They can't find any blood anywhere.

Starting point is 00:11:56 They can't find any video surveillance footage. But, both of their statements matched. Valeria and Keith both said the same thing, like in separate industries, they said we were sitting in the car, we pulled over to give her money, the guy ran up, stabbed her, and they both ran away. God it. But police are having a hard time finding

Starting point is 00:12:13 any evidence to back up these matching statements. Either way, police would continue investigating the murder. It's only day one, and they offered their condolences to the family and sent them home. So what evidence would they be looking for exactly? Because if the pain handlers ran away, like what? They're going to be looking for video surveillance.

Starting point is 00:12:32 There were houses nearby. They're going to be looking for doorbell camera footage. Evidence that someone was standing on the corner probably blood, because if they used a knife to stab her, there would be, You can't just clean the knife immediately. There would be some... Dry it by far away. Yeah, so that's kind of what they're looking for. But again, like you just said, they know it's only day one.

Starting point is 00:12:52 They haven't checked the video footage yet, so they still have some investigating to do. Okay. At 10.30 a.m. the next morning, the police went back to the same location on Valley Street to take another look during daylight hours. Last time they looked here, it was dark. Yeah. But again, they don't find any physical evidence. The police interview people who live in the area, and they consistently said,

Starting point is 00:13:15 no, we didn't hear anything last night, but also we've never even seen panhandlers in this area. They don't operate here. This is not an area for that. The police noted that the street wouldn't be a lucrative location for panhandlers as many houses are vacant and there's very little foot or vehicle traffic there. So it just doesn't even make sense

Starting point is 00:13:36 that that would be a place that someone would go to need to get money because there's not a lot of traffic there. Your chances of getting money isn't going to be very high. Yeah, that's why I asked if they were on a corner or by stoplight. You know, usually they're in certain locations.

Starting point is 00:13:49 Right, and this is not a location that is normal for this. So the police then investigated Keith and Jacqueline's car, which was a white 2012 Audi A7. It had been parked outside next to the hospital where he parked it to run inside to take Jacqueline in. The police transported it to the crime lab at police headquarters.

Starting point is 00:14:10 The police processed the outie for fingerprints and blood both inside the vehicle and outside. They found blood inside the front passenger door which matches the story and they found one set of latent prints on the exterior of the passenger side door. Again, matching the story. There were no other prints recovered from the exterior of the car. After this, the detectives began trying to identify and locate the two suspects. Homicide alerted the homeless outreach team in an effort to find the suspects. On December 1st, detectives also notified the Baltimore Police Department's pawn shop unit of the items that Keith had reported were stolen from his wife. So if they stole her necklace, her wallet, everything...

Starting point is 00:14:51 It'd be somewhere. They're like, okay, they're going to go turn them in somewhere for money. Jumping into an ad and it is native. I used their body wash, I used their shampoo, we used their sunscreen, everything. They're deodorant. We are big native fans over here. And the funny thing is, is I caught myself wanting to buy native products at stores, and then I was like, why am I doing that? Murder with my husband literally has a code.

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Starting point is 00:17:23 multiple grief stricken interviews to law enforcement and to the media in the days following the murder. Keith gave a press conference maintaining his story. According to the Baltimore Sun, Keith Smith urged officials to outlaw panhandling in the streets of Baltimore. So no one else would fall victim. So it's interesting because you just mentioned that and I was going to say I could be totally wrong, but I don't think I've ever heard any stories of panhandlers attacking people who are giving them money while driving. Right. And I think it's also just.

Starting point is 00:17:58 I don't know. It's one of those things where it could totally be true and it could totally be happening, but also if it's not true, this feels like a pretty dirty thing to be saying. You know what I mean? Everything just seems pretty sketchy right now. Right. So Keith said that the panhandlers were holding

Starting point is 00:18:16 a cardboard sign asking for money so that they could feed their baby, which is why they pulled over. The Baltimore City Medical Examiner's office performed the autopsy on December 3rd, 2018. The cause of death was homicide by sharp force injuries as a result of five stab wounds to Jacqueline's chest. She also suffered a cut to her right arm.

Starting point is 00:18:39 Also on December 3rd, the police went to the American Legion Hall to verify Keith's story that that's where they'd gone that night to celebrate. I just want to say the American Legion Hall is basically just like a row of restaurants and basically like a city, just think of... So the police review the surveillance cameras and they found that the three Smiths, so Jacqueline, Keith and Valeria, had arrived there at about 10, 35 pm and left it around 11.45 pm just like Keefe said. On December 3rd, the police received a tip that someone named BabyJ had committed the murder. The police followed up on the tip, but it was a dead end. Based on interviews and surveillance video, the police determined that this babyJ had a valid alibi and had been inside of a hotel at the time of the murder. But you know props to police for chasing every lead. This same day, Keith also gave an interview to ABC News telling the whole entire story.

Starting point is 00:19:35 In his words, he says, she was trying to help someone out. I think the reality is we forget about the times worry living in. You may have the best intentions on helping this person, but when you let a person get into your safety zone, you're actually opening yourself up to whatever this person has intended for you. And you can actually watch an eight minute video of Valeria and Keith giving a press interview on December 3rd, 2018, out in front of Keith and Jacqueline's home in Aberdeen.

Starting point is 00:20:02 So it starts with Valeria and she says that the female panhandler had a sign asking for money She said she was in the back seat so she wasn't really paying attention and she said it all just happened so fast At first in the interview Valeria is fairly composed But then she seems to fight tears and then she begins full on welling like Hunched over Okay, just just bawling And it's really hard to watch. She said her father was driving and that they were at a stop sign. They decided to pull over a

Starting point is 00:20:30 little bit, stop longer to give the money. She said she was wearing the same clothes for the past two days since the murder because she had been with her father. She hadn't even gone home. She says she's very concerned for his well-being that maybe she thinks he might try to kill himself and that he just loved Jaclyn so much. In answering the reporter's questions, Valeria says that they were at the American Legion Hall in West Baltimore. She says it's basically just like a regular row house. She said they had a great time and that her dad and Jaclyn were dropping her back at her home when this happened. I'm a little confused because I think at first I thought Keith probably had something to do with it.

Starting point is 00:21:07 This interview is confusing me so far. Right. She then goes on to say that Jacqueline was the quote, nicest woman that you could ever meet in your life. And while she's saying this, it is very hard for Valeria to talk about her. She appears grief-stricken and she begins begging for the public's help. She says they were two blocks from her home when the stabbing occurred. She said, the guy said, can I thank you?

Starting point is 00:21:29 And then her stepmother had given them a $10 bill. And then she says then he just started stabbing her. She says, my father chased them and I saw my life flash before my eyes because are they about to come back for me? Am I about to get stabbed? And she was also worried because she looked up and she could see Jacqueline bleeding, but then her dad ran back and they drove to the hospital. She says they talked to officers on the phone,

Starting point is 00:21:50 the whole way there and that it all just happened in a split second and that nothing is ever what it seems. After this, Keith comes on camera and he continues the interview. And it's kind of odd to go from Valeria who's so overwhelmed to Keith because he seems very calm. He's very factual, especially after, you know, Valeria has just been in hysterics and now he's just so calm. It's

Starting point is 00:22:12 definitely weird. What's his daughter too? Right. He said three blocks away from Valeria's place. There was a girl out with a baby in her arms. Again, he's just going over his story for the public. He mentions that it was drizzling out and that it was cold. That his amazing wife felt moved to give her something. And so they pulled over then out of nowhere, a guy shows up. Jacqueline gives the money and then the man said, can I think your wife? And he said, yes, you can think my wife. Then in a split second, he started stabbing her, then stalled the necklace off her neck and then stole the pocketbook off her lap.

Starting point is 00:22:44 They then ran to a basketball court and he ran after them, but he eventually comes stabbing her, then stalled the necklace off her neck, and then stalled the pocketbook off her lap. They then ran to a basketball court, and he ran after them, but he eventually comes back because he knew his wife needed him more. Keith says, right now, he's just absorbing everything that's happened and seeing how he can move past it,

Starting point is 00:22:57 but he doesn't think he can move past it until the congressman, ban panhandling. So again, he's going back to this like this should be illegal, which if something like this affects your life so heavily, I can understand the truly drastic feeling. I think there's just some things in the story that he did that are making me doubt everything. Like what? I don't, I try to put myself in his situation. And if he doesn't have something to do with this, well then this is a little awkward, but I put myself in this situation that

Starting point is 00:23:28 if we were in a car and you were getting stabbed, I feel like my initial reaction would be drive away. Drive away. And then if you had gotten stabbed and I didn't have drive away, I don't think I would have gotten out of the car. I would have looked to you and said, we need to get to the hospital now. Right. Are you okay? Do I need to give you CPR? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:23:48 Like, what do I need to be doing to make sure that you're okay? Right. So I think that's my thought process, but I guess we'll see where this goes. I also think, you know, again, seeing where this goes, but, you know, I think five times she was stopped. Yes. And I know everything happens in a split second,

Starting point is 00:24:05 but a split second isn't five stabs. I think if someone reached their hand in the car, that alone would be like, whoa. What are you doing? Yeah. What are you doing? I'm grabbing their arm. I'm doing something.

Starting point is 00:24:18 Right, right. Okay, let's keep going. So he says that ever since this has happened to his wife, he doesn't look at panhandlers the same way. Now he sees them as a threat to his life. And he says he's going to make this new law and his wife's name to make sure that she didn't die in vain. He's told viewers to be careful who they want to give to because you don't know the intentions of the person that you're giving to. And then after this interview kind of goes viral, even Oprah Winfrey took note of

Starting point is 00:24:46 the case and urged people to be more cautious around people asking for money. Like she came out and made a public statement about the case. Oprah actually says she felt a special connection to the case given that she'd been a newscaster in Baltimore before. So on December 4, 2018, the police went to the hospital to review surveillance footage there and they confirmed that the threesmiths drove up to the hospital in the White Audi, the police interview Keith and Valeria again. Now, I'm not sure if this interview happens at their house or at the police station, but either way, they take their second formal statement and the details of Keith's account of

Starting point is 00:25:20 the stabbing were again slightly different this time. Which, if you are lying about something, that would make sense. Right. So he stated that the stabbing was simultaneous to the victim giving the female panhandler money. So basically, he says that the man reached in and stabbed her as she was handing the money, which this is different again. Additionally, he stated that the female reached into the car

Starting point is 00:25:43 and snatched the victim's wallet. Come on, Keith. Before, Keith said that the female reached into the car and snatched the victims wallet. But before, Keith said that the man was the one who'd reached in the car and that the woman never put her hands in the car. So the police then drive Keith and Valeria to the American Legion so that Keith and Valeria could show the detectives the exact route that they'd taken the night of the murder a few days earlier. Relying upon the path of travel, described by Keith and Valeria Smith, law enforcement personnel reviewed video footage from 27 cameras around the area described,

Starting point is 00:26:11 and detectives were unable to locate Keith Smith's vehicle on any of the cameras. This is the first physical evidence that contradicts Keith and Valeria's story of where they were that night because where they said they went, they can find them on no cameras. The police also reviewed motion-activated residential security cameras that should have caught the vehicle on the night of the murder, but those cameras didn't record the vehicle either. On December 4, 2018, Keith and Valeria consented to having their cell phones searched and information extracted. It was also around this time that the testing from the outside of the car print came back.

Starting point is 00:26:48 And it was as follows, the subsequent latent print comparison determined that the latent prints on the outside of the car were that of Keith Smith. Got it. No strangers prints were on the outside of the car. I think it's safe to say that the police are suspicious of Keith at this point.

Starting point is 00:27:03 Oh, 100%. They definitely think something's going on. But what about Valeria? This is crazy because I was just about to ask about Valeria. Right, because, okay, so we see husbands kill their wives all the time. So if Keith really did kill Jacqueline this night, why in front of his 28 year old daughter, what does she have to do with it? Why is she lying?

Starting point is 00:27:23 And why would she lie about it? Correct. This doesn't make any sense. But so police don't know exactly what's going on, but they continue to follow where the evidence leads them, just like they should be. On December 11th, seven days later, detectives executed a search warrant on Keith and Jacqueline's Audi to access GPS information from the car. During this search, there was Luminol also used inside

Starting point is 00:27:46 of the car and some swabs were taken from four areas within the interior of the car. Luminol did detect blood in unsuspecting areas of the vehicle. Now, I'm not sure what this means that this means like the trunk or like why there would be blood not in the front seat, but this is what it says. However, the report goes on to say that the Lumenall didn't show any blood other than that, which they'd already found from the passenger seat area. So whatever it is, I mean, there's blood

Starting point is 00:28:12 in unsuspecting places, but nothing that's going to give them more clues. The police and the FBI at this point were unable to get GPS information from the car relating to the night of the murder. Inside of the car though, the police seized various items, including an acrylic fingernail

Starting point is 00:28:28 inside the rear passenger area that appeared to have belonged to Valeria. So she has a fingernail in the car and some gloves. On December 11th, 2018, police found out that Jacqueline's credit card was being used. She's been passed now for a while. Yeah. They discover three male juveniles

Starting point is 00:28:49 who the police excluded as suspects. They reported that they found a Michael Korz clutch bag at the corner of Caroline Street and Madison Avenue at a bus stop. Now the implication here from in a rest warrant, although not stated, is that these juveniles found the purse and then used the credit card, but that they weren't suspects in the murder.

Starting point is 00:29:10 They just found the purse. Where did they find the purse and the trash? No, just on the corner of a sheet. Oh, just on the corner like you said. The robbery happened, yes. Interesting, so I'm just trying to piece all this together because this is weird. Why still a purse if you're just gonna ditch it?

Starting point is 00:29:24 Yeah, exactly. So the next day, the police received the cell phone information from Keith and Valerius phones, including not only their call histories, but also their locations. No information is provided for the location of Keith's phone, but perhaps that's because there was no activity on his phone from 9.30 p.m. until he called 911 after midnight.

Starting point is 00:29:43 However, Valerius's cell phone was pinging in a different location than Keith and Valeria said they were that night. Specifically, Keith and Valeria said they drove southbound on Druid Hill Avenue after leaving the American Legion. However, Valeria's cell phone was pinging after the American Legion in the completely opposite direction. Northwest of the American Legion and Druid Hill Park near the Maryland Zoo, and it stayed there for 12 to 16 minutes. Holy crap, this is nuts. So neither Keith nor Valeria mentioned going in this direction or going to Druid Hill Park.

Starting point is 00:30:21 Now just for some context, Druid Hill Park is in Northwest Baltimore. According to Google Maps, it's a 745 acre park. The Maryland Zoo is within the park and as is Druid Lake. Essentially, if American Legion where they ate dinner was sitting in the middle of a map, one direction would be towards Valerius home, and the 1000th block of Valley Street

Starting point is 00:30:43 where they said Jacqueline was attacked. And in the complete opposite direction would be Drew at Hill Park where they actually were that night. Got it. Okay. So Keith and Valerius have just for forensically been proven in a lie about that night that they were not where they said the attack happened. So if the attack actually happened, it's not where they said it was. Yes, and how do you get out of that at that point, what do you say? What do you do next? Right. So three days later, Jacqueline's funeral is held,

Starting point is 00:31:09 followed by Christmas, because now we're into December. During this time, police decided to dig up any more information they can on Keith and Valeria. No arrests happen. They're just looking for more evidence. So they discover that Keith had a criminal past, which does not automatically make him guilty. Okay. People can make mistakes. They can break the law and they can still

Starting point is 00:31:30 be good people. In 2001, though, Keith pled guilty to robbing the same bank in Maryland three times in nine months. Come on, man. Three several times in nine months. What are we doing? He served six years of a 12-year prison sentence for robbery with a deadly weapon and for fleeing the police. According to WBALtv.com, Keith Smith had a history of committing serious crimes for money. In September 2000, he led police on a chase, then crashed into a city patrol car sending an officer to the hospital. Okay. Keith Smith was pursued as a bank robbery suspect during this chase. His MO in robbing the same bank three times was to force all of the bank

Starting point is 00:32:12 tellers to the floor at gunpoint and over these three robberies he reportedly stole $60,000. Okay you guys we are getting into an ad. I know you guys have both heard the story about how Garrett and I were both paying separately for peacock. And then we used rocket money and realized how dumb we are and are so happy rocket money helped us stop doing that. Rocket money is a personal finance app that finds and cancels your unwanted subscriptions monitors your spending and helps you lower your bills all in one place. And like Peyton said, I'm always on it checking things out, seeing what's going on, seeing how many Amazon packages Peyton are buying.

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Starting point is 00:33:51 Real quick, that does not seem like a ton of money for three bank robberies. I probably because he didn't send him to the vault. He probably just took what was right there in the drawers. Like, I feel like, I don't know, if you're going to rob a bank, I feel like it's go big or go home, right? If you're going to rob a bank, I feel like it's go big or go home, right? If you're gonna rob a bank at gunpoint, it's go big or go home. Yeah, it's kind of hard to use. You're already using a deadly weapon. Not that we're robbing a bank, but just my two cents back.

Starting point is 00:34:12 I've watched enough bank robbery movies. Exactly. So according to CBS News, when police found this out, they determined that a day or two after the murder, Keith went to Jacqueline's workplace to get paperwork for her life insurance policy in which he was the beneficiary. Okay. Which is not weird.

Starting point is 00:34:31 If your loved one dies, you should go get your money. But based on the fact that in his past, he had committed crimes for money. Police now was like, okay, well, it was only two days after her death, he was already looking to get the money. The Laria is Keith's daughter. Like we we said from a previous marriage, obviously making her Jacqueline's step daughter. She was 28 years old at the time of Jacqueline's murder and according to Heavy.com, an online database with the Maryland Judiciary brings up prior cases including assault and traffic

Starting point is 00:34:58 violations for her. In 2017, she was charged with second degree assault and disturbing the peace. Valeria Smith pled guilty to the assault charge and appeared to have been sentenced to probation. She reportedly has two children, but I couldn't find any information on them, neither do should I, it's fine. And I've looked, but I also can't find who Valeria's mother or Keith's ex-wife is. Again, not necessary to the story. On January 4th, 2019, the police executed search warrants for data relating to Keith and

Starting point is 00:35:28 Valeria's Google accounts. These records also showed that the direction their phones traveled doesn't match up with their stories. At some point, detectives also looked at cell phone information for Jacqueline's phone. Keith had told police that Jacqueline had her cell phone with her the night of the murder. However, her cell phone data shows that the last activity on her phone was an incoming call at 4.16 pm on November 30th, and that the last known location of her phone, Per the phone records, was at their home in Aberdeen. So no further activity happened on her phone after that incoming call. Detectives very quickly grew suspicious of Keith and his

Starting point is 00:36:04 story, both because of inconsistencies in the way he told it, and also the inconsistencies with common sense, kind of like what you were saying, like why get out and run. This is crazy. If your wife is bleeding out. I feel like at this point, it's obvious they had something to do with it. Investigators also thought it defied belief that panhandlers would be out that late on that deserted street corner asking for money They were just like this story just does not add up Another reason for suspicion is that no evidence was found at the particular street corner to

Starting point is 00:36:35 Co-obrate Keith's story and Neighbors of Keith's in their townhome community in Aberdeen later reported that on February 4th Keith showed up at his home This is after a police have kind of found a lot of this evidence and they're probably putting the heat on Keith. Keith shows up at his home with a large moving truck. He loaded it quickly the next day and the neighbors never saw him again. Wow, okay.

Starting point is 00:36:57 According to WBALTV.com, neighbors found it so odd, even one neighbor took a picture of the moving truck outside the house because they thought it was so weird. Neighbors reported that there were never any signs of trouble with this myth. Residents though, there was no yelling and as quoted in WBAL TV.com, they were always very pleasant. They never had any kind of incident over there. Nothing was unusual.

Starting point is 00:37:19 On February 8th, 2019, the police obtained wiretaps for Keith and Valeria's cell phones. Both wiretaps are activated that day, which means police are now listening to every single call that goes from Valeria's phone or Keith's phone or two their phones. Valeria said her phone was actually stolen during the time of the investigation, so she wouldn't give it to police. So the wiretap was for her new cell phone. On February 12th, 2019, Keith is formally interviewed by detectives for a third time. This time he was given his Miranda warnings, which he signed.

Starting point is 00:37:51 Keith gives another slightly different version of what happened that night. This time he says that the female panhandler was wearing a blue hoodie, but previously he had said she was wearing a brown jacket. The police confront Keith with a Vilarious cell phone record saying, you were not where you said you were. It contradicts the story. And the phone indicates they went northbound into Druid Hill Park and that you guys stayed there for 12 to 16 minutes.

Starting point is 00:38:15 So what was going on? Keith says, okay, fine, I'll tell you, I just got lost and I didn't want to admit it to you in my prior statements. Oh, come on. He further advised that they were sitting in the parking lot, looking at pictures they had taken during the evening.

Starting point is 00:38:27 And then they turned around and went home. Immediately upon completion of the interview, Keith got into a rental truck and drove to Winter Haven, Florida, where he requested to be relocated by his job. So he has popped right out of Maryland. He said, I'm out of here. Also on February 12, the police read interview Valeria. She was also given her Miranda warnings which she signed

Starting point is 00:38:48 and agreed to speak with detectives. When confronted with her cell phone records, Valeria said they were never injured, Hill Park. I don't know what you're talking about, and then she quickly requested a lawyer and the interview stopped. So he's just leaving Valeria to defend for herself at this point? Well, he goes to Florida. Yeah. Yes, she's not going to Florida with him. So I'm curious to see what happens with this attorney then.

Starting point is 00:39:10 Well, I guess he not scared like, oh crap, they're going to figure it out because now my daughter's getting an attorney and all this. I mean, probably, but he's not, he's already making his way to Florida, which is very close to you. Florida is very close to bye-bye, you could leave the country. Yeah, for sure. So on February 14th, detectives speak to an unnamed source

Starting point is 00:39:28 who knows Keith and Valeria. And this source tells police that Keith had asked his brother, Vick Smith. So Vick is Keith's brother. He asked his brother, Vick Smith, if he'd help Keith kill Jacqueline. Okay. The source advice that the information was then given

Starting point is 00:39:43 to Mr. Donald Morgan, who is a close friend of Keith Smith. So then they tell another friend Donald Morgan that they're going to kill his wife. Investigations revealed that Keith Smith had a brother named Vick Smith and a close friend named Donald Morgan. The next day, the detectives now interview Donald Morgan, who tells police, yeah, okay, Vick Smith told me that he was approached by Keith to try to get rid of Jacqueline. He interpreted that get rid meant kill her. Detectives showed Morgan

Starting point is 00:40:11 a photo of Vicksmith and he says, yeah, that's Keith's brother Vicksmith who told me this. This basically means police confirmed that at some point Keith had been trying to plot to have his wife killed. And then later she turns up dead and he says it's panhandling. So they're just like further cementing some evidence here. On February 17th, Keith switched cell phone carriers from Verizon to Metro PCS. On February 18th, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for a package that had been sent from Keith to Valeria.

Starting point is 00:40:42 They intercepted it. The police had previously discovered that Keith was sending her a cell phone so that she could talk freely without the wiretap. The police intercept this phone from the mail. Oh, it's over. They... Yeah, they're in trouble. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:40:56 Police get the wiretap to apply to Keith's new phone that he got for Metro PCS. So they're still on top of it. They're like, no, you're not gonna have any conversation when you don't hear. Metro PCS. On February 19th, detectives find Vic Smith, who is Keith's brother, and they ask him to talk to them at police headquarters.

Starting point is 00:41:11 He agrees. He says that Keith had told him that Jacqueline was thinking of divorcing Keith. So now they've just found a moment. Oh, got it. Jacqueline was threatening divorce from Keith, and now Keith wants her dead and wants her money. After Vic left police headquarters, the wiretap got him calling his brother Keith. Vic asks Keith if he got his text and Keith says no and Vic tells Keith about the questions

Starting point is 00:41:33 the police had just been asking him and Vic warns Keith that he didn't want to talk on the phone because you know everything's got ears now and he says pay attention to your phone man. The police also get a wiretap for an additional phone line for Valeria. So now she has a new phone again. The police also get a wiretap for an additional phone I'm for Valeria. So now she has a new phone again.

Starting point is 00:41:47 It's crazy you can just tap in like that. I know. And so nuts. On February 27th, 2019, police serve Vic Smith with a grand jury subpoena apparently for him to testify before the grand jury on March 1st, which means they are going to charge. They're not charged Vic, but they're going to charge key.

Starting point is 00:42:04 Yes. Because Vic has now just been asked to charge. They're not charged, Vic, but they're going to charge key. Yes. Because Vic has now just been asked to testify. Vic calls Keith and tells him about the grand jury's subpoena. He warns Keith that, hey, they're going to issue an arrest warrant. You're going to be arrested if the grand jury finds enough evidence, which is what I'm going to testify for. The wiretap also intercepts two calls Keith makes trying to book a one-way ticket to Cuba and then a one-way ticket to Canada.

Starting point is 00:42:27 He was unsuccessful because he doesn't have a passport. Keith also asks one of the reservation clerks whether he can fly to the Virgin Islands without a passport, just a driver's license. The reservation clerk says, yeah, you can do that. Keith tries to book a flight to the Virgin Islands, but the worker tells him to call in 800 numbers so he is unable to do it on that specific call. As quoted in the Baltimore Sun, Keith says in calls with a travel agent about Cuba, oh, I didn't know you need a passport. Do you need a passport to get to Canada? The guys

Starting point is 00:42:57 like, yes, sir, he goes, oh, I didn't know that. Do you need a passport to get to the Virgin Islands? While he was on the phone, Keith does a computer search for whether a passport is needed to fly to Jamaica and whether you can travel to Mexico without going through an official boarding crossing. I'm just telling you all of these separate searches and details because it's apparent that he's trying to flee the country. Which is pretty crazy because if he had a passport at this point, he would be gone. Yeah, oh, he definitely would be gone. 100%. On February 28th, Keith also makes a call about getting a cash advance on his American Express card, but it's denied because of the type of card he has. So not only is he trying to flee, he's trying to get a lot of money.

Starting point is 00:43:34 Yep. On March 3rd, 2019, Keith and Valerius Smith are arrested in Texas, approximately 1700 miles from Maryland, and only 20 minutes from the Mexico border. No way. Apparently, they claimed they were just on vacation. The police had sent out national notifications that Keith was planning to flee so that the other states could keep a watch out for them, and it worked. That's crazy. It's not clear how long the two were in Texas prior to their arrest. They must have been in a car, and they were apparently arrested at a gas station. The Texas Rangers made the arrest.

Starting point is 00:44:08 I wonder if they were headed to the border. Oh, I mean, I would assume so, right? 100%. At some point after the arrest, Valeria admitted that the panhandler story was completely false and that she witnessed her own father stab his wife, Jacqueline. The statement attached to the arrest warrant says that at the time of the warrant, Keith Smith and Valeria were 20 minutes from the Mexico border based on the results of this investigation, and Mr. Smith's attempt to flee the country, the investigation has failed to provide suspects other than Mr. and Miss Smith, so they're basically just saying we have our killer. Like we have the people who were involved. just saying we have our killer. Like we have the people who were involved. On March 3rd, 2019, Keith Tyrone Smith was booked. His address was listed as Winter Haven, Florida. Keith is listed as 5'8, 182 pounds. Bail was set at no bond.

Starting point is 00:44:55 Keith was charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder with Valeria Smith, assault and dangerous weapon charges. It listed the location of the murders as 1,800 Orlean Street Baltimore, which is the hospital where Jacqueline died. The next day, Keith and Valeria were arraigned on March 4th in Cameron County, Texas. They waved extra edition and will be transported back to Maryland. And at this point, Jacqueline's brother Marcel comes forward and says that he knew from the

Starting point is 00:45:22 start that the Panhandler story was a lie. He says he's not shocked. He's not surprised. He said he didn't know his brother in law too well, but he knew that his sister loved him. He commended the efforts of the police department and the detectives. As quoted in heavy.com, Marcel said the family had suspected Keith from the beginning. All the questioning had been specific to Keith. That kind of sums it up right there.

Starting point is 00:45:42 It never made sense. I told detectives from the very beginning, who the suspects were. The station also interviewed Jacqueline's mother, Anna, who said the whole panhandler story sounded phony. Her brother also said that music will never be the same for him because he and Jacqueline liked listening to music together and now he doesn't like music.

Starting point is 00:45:59 After being caught and arrested in Texas, the two were extra-dited to Maryland to face murder and other charges. Police transported Keith and Valeria by plane, and they arrived at the Baltimore Airport shortly after midnight on March 21, 2019. They were taken straight to the central booking intake facility in Baltimore. A police representative was quoted in newsweek.com as saying, we developed evidence that Mr. Smith was leaving Maryland, so we made the appropriate national notifications, and Texas State Police arrested him that Mr. Smith was leaving Maryland so we made the appropriate national

Starting point is 00:46:25 notifications and Texas State Police arrested him that morning. So after Keith and Valerius arrest, Baltimore Mayor, Catherine Pugh, took great issue with the fact that they had gone on TV multiple times and falsely blamed the homeless panhandlers in Maryland. According to investigation discovery.com, she said she was disappointed that the two alleged suspects attempted to take advantage of negative perceptions of their city. And I have to agree with this. Like I need to say something here that you again are picking the people that are already down. It

Starting point is 00:46:59 goes back to sex workers constantly being the targets and and their case is not being taken seriously. Like it's so easy to point the finger. And then you went on this rampage about trying to get homelessness banned in Maryland and that was, it was all a lie. I'm trying to figure out why the daughter lied. Right? I don't understand.

Starting point is 00:47:20 It's weird. Why you would lie watching your dad kill someone. Yeah. That's insane. So in September, Valeria pleads guilty to accessory after the fact as part of a cooperation agreement with the state, she is going to testify against her father at his murder trial. But this murder trial won't begin for another two years, December 1st, 2021, because of COVID.

Starting point is 00:47:42 Okay. So at trial, one of the devastating parts of trial was that Valeria testified that Jacqueline was asleep in the front seat. When Keith pulled over and began stabbing her, Valeria said she was high at the time and so she was just kind of surprised. Her dad did it and then she just listened to her dad. He told her what story to say and she said it. Okay. The jury deliberated for about five hours total over the course of two days before convicting Keith on December 9, 2021 of first-degree murder and using a deadly weapon. In convicting him of first-degree murder, the jury had to find that Keith acted with pre-meditation.

Starting point is 00:48:16 Keith was then 55 because of COVID. Keith was watching the guilty verdict through Zoom, basically. On December 14, 2021, Valeria, now 31 years old, was sentenced to five years in prison. She had already served almost three years and was hoping the judge would just release her, but that was not the case. Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence for Keith, which in Maryland is life in prison. On February 28th, Keith was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, plus three years to be served concurrently for the use of a deadly weapon.

Starting point is 00:48:47 Keith was sentenced by Baltimore Circuit Judge Jennifer Schyfer who noted the victim had no way of knowing her husband would stab her over and over again. The victim was the definition of defenseless and vulnerable. She was asleep. He blamed vulnerable people, i.e. how he went on national television and blamed panhandlers. So sad. As reported by wbaltv.com, family members said Jacqueline loved her husband

Starting point is 00:49:11 and wanted their marriage to work. They said she gave her all to everything she did and this is how it turned out. And that is the story of Jacqueline Smith. That's so mind-boggling to me that because she was thinking about it divorce. He killed her. Well, he wanted the insurance money too. Yeah, do you think it was more money or more divorce?

Starting point is 00:49:29 I think it was both. I think he knew that he had the money and then the second she said he wanted divorce, he's it okay. I know what I got to do. That's so messed up. I just think the whole case is so confusing. It feels good to know that the right people went to prison for this case. Correct. I feel like very rarely do we have 100% that confirmation in these cases, but we do

Starting point is 00:49:50 in this case. But I think it's so hard. You just wanted to believe them so much in their interview. They did seem so shattered. And then just the way it all went about and the lies and it was weird. It was definitely strange. She was probably shattered because she was having some sort of traumatic experience watching everything. Right. Right. He obviously wanted to kill her. So he, like you said, wasn't really reacting that much. Again, Valeria seems like the odd impulse here. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe they had a really close relationship. I don't know.

Starting point is 00:50:23 I don't know what I think about that whole part. That part is a little off to me. I think very rarely will you see a husband kill a wife in front of an adult child, and the adult child just say, yeah, okay, I'll go along with it. Yeah, just let me know you want me to say. Yeah, so weird. She wouldn't have got prison time.

Starting point is 00:50:40 No. All right, you guys, that is our case for today. We will see you guys next week with another episode and a patreon bonus episode I love it. I hate it. Goodbye

Murder With My Husband - 124. Jacquelyn Smith - The Baltimore Murder

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