Several months following reports a Maryland woman was reportedly stabbed to death after giving a panhandler some money garnered national coverage, police arrested her husband and stepdaughter in connection to her murder on Sunday.
In December, Blavity reported that Jacquelyn Smith was killed after she and her husband were returning from a family function. Smith spotted a woman allegedly carrying a sign that read "Please help feed my baby."
After Smith rolled down her window to give the woman money, a man approached her and attempted to steal her pocketbook. After a brief struggle, the man supposedly murdered Smith.
News of Smith's death rocked the country, with celebrities like Oprah making public declarations saying she would "think twice" before donating to beggars.
Investigations into Smith's death over the last several months came up short, and The Baltimore Sun writes that police were unable to identify the suspects behind her death. Now, it appears the man who was operating the vehicle that night will be charged with first-degree murder.
Keith Smith and his daughter, Valeria, were detained in Texas near the United States-Mexico border Sunday night. Per The Baltimore Sun, the two were attempting to flee the country before being identified for Smith's murder.
"The information and evidence points it wasn't a panhandler," Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said in a news conference. "People take advantage of Baltimore. We want to make sure the truth comes out and justice is done."
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Keith and Valeria appeared visibly stricken at a news conference following Smith's death and wholeheartedly blamed the murder on the beggars.
This is a portion of the media interview in December with Keith Smith and Valeria Smith. Both now charged with 1 degree murder in the death of Jacqueline Smith, his wife and her stepmother.They blamed the murder on panhandlers. Both arrested in Texas near Mexican Border. pic.twitter.com/ZWGscGrUbB
— Barry Simms (@BarrySimmsWBAL) March 3, 2019
Commissioner Harris did not reveal a reason behind the ruse, only saying he would allow the impending trial to determine that.
In a statement obtained by The Daily Beast, the Baltimore mayor's office echoed Harrison's comments and chastised the two suspects for leading law enforcement astray and putting public citizens at risk:
"To now learn that family members staged this brutal killing is beyond belief and represents a double tragedy. They were responsible for taking Jacquelyn's life with unconscionable cruelty and contrived to do so in our city under the guise of random violence, exploiting the legitimate fears of our residents."
It appears Smith's family knew all along Keith and Valeria were behind the attack. Smith's brother, Marcel Trisvan, spoke to The Baltimore Sun and told officials long before investigations began the two were the only culprits.
"All the questioning has been specific to Keith. That kind of sums it right there," Trisvan said. "It never made sense. I told [detectives] from the very beginning there are no suspects out there."
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