Man Who Said Wife Killed By Panhandler To Be Tried In Her Murder

BALTIMORE, MD — An Aberdeen man will stand trial Wednesday in the death of his wife, whom he claimed had been stabbed by a panhandler in East Baltimore after a family gathering in December 2018. His daughter has already pleaded guilty to accessory to murder.

Keith Tyrone Smith, 55, of the 4900 block of Villa Point Drive in Aberdeen, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Jacquelyn Smith, 54, who was an engineer at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Jacquelyn Smith had been riding in a vehicle in the 1000 block of Valley Street in east Baltimore when, the story went, she rolled down her window to give money to a woman holding a baby or an object wrapped to look like a baby. Based on information her family provided, police said a man approached the vehicle appearing to thank Smith and instead reached inside to grab her wallet, they struggled, and the man stabbed Jacquelyn Smith in the torso with a knife.

Keith Smith and his daughter were arrested in Texas near the Mexican border in March 2019. Police said they were trying to flee the country as detectives built a case showing the story they told about Jacquelyn Smith's death was fabricated.

Valeria Shavon Smith, of the 1300 block of Homewood Avenue in Baltimore, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact in Baltimore City Circuit Court in 2019.

As part of her plea deal, she must testify in court against her father, according to the Baltimore Sun, which reported she is to be sentenced Dec. 13.

See Also:

• Stepdaughter Pleads Guilty To Accessory In Murder: Report
• Oprah On Homicide By Panhandler: 'This Story Struck My Heart'
• Aberdeen Woman Fatally Stabbed Was Engineer At APG: Report
• Harford Woman Killed Giving Money To Woman With 'Baby'
• Husband, Stepdaughter Charged In Stabbing Of Jacquelyn Smith: BPD
• Havre de Grace Man Knew Panhandler Didn't Kill His Sister: Report