The Murder of Jacquelyn Smith

Jacquelyn Smith was brutally murdered on the evening of December 1st, 2018. The 54 year-old woman went out that night to an American Legion club in Baltimore, Maryland. She was accompanied by her husband, 52 year-old Keith Smith, and her stepdaughter, 28 year-old Valeria ‘Shavon’ Smith. The group was out that night to celebrate Shavon’s 28th birthday. On their way home that evening, Keith told police that they saw a woman holding a sign that said “please help feed me and my baby.” By Keith’s account, Jacquelyn rolled down her window to give the woman some money, but as she did so, another man approached the car and reached for Jacquelyn’s wallet. Keith told police that a struggle between Jacquelyn and the man ensued, that resulted in Jacquelyn being stabbed in the torso. She was rushed to the hospital where she later died.

Keith Smith (left) and Shavon Smith (right)

Keith told police that the man who stabbed Jacquelyn fled the scene before he could be caught. Police were initially looking for this man, however throughout their investigation, they realized that this man actually did not exist at all. At this point, police shifted their investigation to the last known people to have seen Jacquelyn before she was stabbed: her husband Keith, and her stepdaughter, Shavon.

In late February 2019, investigators received word that Keith and Shavon were planning to cross the border into Mexico. Before they were able to leave the country, authorities tracked them down in Texas. Keith and Shavon were subsequently arrested on March 3rd, 2019. At that time, both were arresting and charged with murdering Jacquelyn. Very little information about a motive was revealed, and the case is still pending.

In June 2019, it was announced that the murder charges against Shavon were dropped. Instead, prosecutors pursued charges for accessory to murder after-the-fact . In September 2019, Shavon pleaded guilty to the charges. Keith is still maintaining his not guilty plea for the murder charges and is expected to go to trial in 2020.

-
[Dangerous Duos Vol. II]

[Initial Theories Gone Wrong]