BEWARE...SOME DAYS ARE NOT VERY PRETTY. I GET CRABBY LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE DO. AND I DO SPEAK MY MIND.
DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO TRUE, REAL, EVERYDAY FEELINGS LIKE MINE.(But I think you would enjoy it)
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Jacquelyn Smith, 54, was stabbed to death just after midnight on Dec.
1 in the Johnson Square neighborhood of East Baltimore, police said.
Her husband, Keith Smith, called 911 and later told police that he
and his wife, along with his daughter, Valeria Smith, were driving when
they saw a woman standing on the side of the road, carrying what looked
like a baby wrapped in a blanket. They said she was holding a sign that
read, "Help me feed my baby, God Bless."
Keith Smith said they pulled over and his wife rolled down the window to hand the woman $10.
He told ABC News that he noticed a man standing next to the
panhandling woman. But it never crossed his mind that he and his wife
were being set up, he said in an interview after the killing. (MORE: Baltimore woman's act of kindness ends in her death)
"She was trying to help someone out," Keith Smith told ABC News just
days after he said his wife was stabbed in front of him and Valeria
Smith, who were out with celebrating her 28th birthday when the tragedy
unfolded.
However, after a lengthy investigation, Baltimore Police allege it
was Keith Smith, along with his daughter, who were responsible for
Jacquelyn Smith's murder.
The pair was arrested near the U.S.-Mexico border in Harlingen,
Texas, and now face charges of first-degree murder, police said at a
news conference Sunday. Investigators learned Keith Smith was leaving
Maryland and coordinated with the Texas State Police to take him into
custody Sunday morning.
"We're looking forward to this cruel act being brought to justice," Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh said.
Police would not comment on how they determined Keith and Valeria
Smith were responsible for the death, citing an ongoing investigation.
Officials would not comment on a possible motive.
In an interview with ABC News shortly after his wife's death, Keith
Smith described what he told police happened that day and how saddened
he was that his wife's life was taken over a few dollars.
Jacquelyn Smith, her husband and daughter were driving home when
Jacquelyn Smith spotted the woman standing in the drizzling, cold
weather and the holding what she thought was a baby, according to Keith
Smith.
The family pulled over to help, Keith Smith said.
"As she was handing her the money, the guy came to say 'Thank you,'
and the woman was saying 'God bless you. God bless you,'" Smith
recalled. "While we're looking at her saying 'God bless you' and my wife
was handing her the money, he came over to the car and said 'Thank you'
and then he started stabbing my wife and snatched her necklace off and
ran."
He said the female panhandler reached into the car, grabbed his wife's purse and scurried off into the darkness.
"For most people, the last thing you're going to think about is that
this person is about to take your life for a few dollars," Keith Smith
said.
"I think the reality is, we forget about the times that we're living
in," he said. "You may have the best intentions on helping this person,
but when you let a person get into your safe zone, you're actually
opening yourself up to whatever this person has intended for you."
Two days after the fatal stabbing, Keith Smith and his daughter
returned to the scene of the killing with then Baltimore interim Police
Commissioner Gary Tuggle for a news conference, in which Tuggle asked
the public to help investigators identify the two suspect.
At the time, Tuggle said it appeared the two panhandlers were working together.
"They're using this ruse as panhandlers to get the attention of their
would-be victims," Tuggle said at the time. "We also want to caution
the public about engaging with panhandlers in recognizing the fact not
all of them have honest intent. Not all of them are in real need."
Jacquelyn Smith worked as an electrical engineer at the Aberdeen
Proving Ground, an Army facility in Aberdeen, Maryland, her husband
said. He said he and his wife were members of the Helping Hands
Ministries Church in the Baltimore suburb of Churchville, where
Jacquelyn's memorial service was held on Dec. 7.
ABC News' Amanda Maile contributed to this report.
OLMITO, Texas (AP) — A man charged with killing his wife after
blaming her death on a Baltimore panhandler is being held without bail
in Texas.
Cameron County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Joe Elizardi said
52-year-old Keith Smith and his 28-year-old daughter, Valeria Smith,
were arraigned Monday and agreed to be extradited. Elizardi says they're
held without bond and Baltimore officials have until March 15 to pick
them up.
Jacquelyn Smith was fatally stabbed last year. Her husband said she
rolled down her window to give money to a panhandler, who stabbed her.
But Acting Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said at a news
conference Sunday that the story wasn't true and announced first-degree
murder charges against Smith's husband and step-daughter. He says they
were arrested in Texas and were preparing to leave the country.
Eleven-year-old girl charged with child abuse over death of baby left in her care
Peter Stubley,The Independent59 minutes ago
An 11-year-old girl has been charged with first-degree child abuse of a one-year-old boy who died after suffering serious injuries in her care.
The girl, who is not related to the victim, was left babysitting Paxton Davis at her home in Maryland near Washington DC while her mother went out on an errand.
Her family members called 911 after returning home to find the baby unresponsive.
Paxton was taken to hospital with severe injuries to his upper body and died four days later, on Thursday 28 February.
Major Brian Reilly, commander of the criminal investigation division, told a press conference the motive remains under investigation.
“I don’t know what motive there would be in a situation like this for
an 11-year-old to intentionally inflict injuries on a one-year-old,” he
said.
“There are no words. There is no reason for this to take place.”
Major Reilly said the two families were friends and Paxton was left
there in the care of the girl’s mother on the previous Saturday. The
girl had not looked after the baby before.
“It was an innocent friendly agreement that turned absolutely tragic,” he said.
“There was a short time where the 11-year-old was left in the house where there was no parental supervision.”
Police were alerted by medical staff at 3.25pm following the baby’s arrival at hospital.
“When hospital staff took a look at our one-year-old victim, they
immediately called child abuse detectives due to the severity of his
injuries,” said Major Reilly.
“It was clear from the beginning that the injuries Paxton suffered were not consistent with the normal play of a one-year-old.”
Police said that they would consult with the Prince George’s County
state’s attorney’s office to determine any further charges in the case.
Associated Press
3 hours ago
