A Baltimore father and daughter were charged for the killing of their loved one in an elaborate plot claiming a panhandler killed the victim. 

Jacquelyn Smith, a mechanical engineer, was murdered by her husband, Kevin Smith and stepdaughter Valeria Smith December 1, 2018. According to CBS Baltimore, the father-daughter duo claimed a homeless person was responsible for the killing. On June 3, prosecutors decided to drop murder charges against Valeria Smith and will now charge her with being an accessory. Court documents show the 28-year-old woman has bipolar disorder and suffered from heroin addiction.

“We’ve basically said all along that Ms. Smith’s role in this was greatly exaggerated initially by the state,” Defense attorney Brandon Mead told The Baltimore Sun.

Kevin Smith told authorities his wife was stabbed to death after giving $10 to a panhandler in East Baltimore. However, as evidence came available, it was revealed he plotted to kill his wife.

Initially, he tried to recruit his brother to help carry out the heinous deed. He stabbed his wife in the chest in the night of the murder Druid Hill Park, 15 minutes away from East Baltimore. 

At the time, the story of the mechanical engineer's death made national headlines due in part to media mogul Oprah Winfrey. 

Kevin Smith and his daughter were found at the Mexican border in March attempting to flee justice. The Baltimore Sun reports the duo were located at a Texas truck stop about 20 minutes away from the border. From December to March, the husband attempted to leave the country after the killing.

What ultimately led to their capture was a wiretap on the husband's phone. Police learned he tried to seek refuge in Canada, Cuba, Virgin Islands and Jamaica. Then, the two settled on Mexico as their last option for escape.

Other factors led investigators to believe the pair were the main culprits in the murder as well. Footage from about 27 surveillance cams showed the family was not in East Baltimore during the murder. Jacquelyn Smith's phone and some jewelry were missing from the crime scene.

Interviews with close family friends revealed Kevin plotted to kill his wife sometime before December 1. There were also numerous times the pair confused timelines. Neither could get the details of the case right. 

Authorities are convinced the 53-year-old may have persuaded his daughter to play a part. He has been charged with murder. A judge in Harford County took away Kevin Smith's authority over his wife’s estate in April. Both culprits remain in a Baltimore jail as they await trial. 

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