Valeria and Keith Smith/Photo Courtesy of WBAL-TV
Valeria Smith is prepared to testify during her stepmother’s murder trial this week, Law & Crime reported, admitting that she helped her father, Keith Smith, cover up the fatal stabbing of his wife, Jacquelyn Smith. The 55-year-old man reportedly blamed the vicious act on panhandlers before heading towards Mexico with his daughter.
Authorities believe that Jacquelyn, a 54-year-old engineer, had talked about
divorcing her husband before her untimely death.According to the Baltimore Sun, after Jacquelyn’s murder in December 2018, Valeria pleaded guilty to being an accessory after-the-fact the following September. She revealed that she not only witnessed the murder but also aided Keith in fleeing to Mexico.
The daughter-father duo reportedly
told others that Jacquelyn was handing cash to a female panhandler and her baby when a man emerged and stabbed her in a robbery attempt. But after combing through over two dozen surveillance cameras in the East Baltimore area, detectives could not verify the claim.Related Post: VIDEO: Off-Duty Officer Receiving Haircut Kills Baltimore Shooting Spree Suspect That Fatally Shot Barbershop Owner
In September 2019, Valeria also reportedly admitted to discarding Jacquelyn’s purse and getting rid of the murder weapon in an attempt to cover up the crime. According to the Baltimore Sun, when asked by a circuit judge at the time if she was “pleading guilty because you are in fact guilty?”
“Yes,” she replied.
Valeria, 31, was arrested in March 2019 along with her father at a Texas gas station, having traveled 20 miles short of Mexico.
Last week, Keith’s trial officially began in Baltimore, Maryland, starting with jury selection. According to CBS Baltimore, he is facing a first-degree murder charge for his alleged involvement in Jacquelyn’s fatal stabbing, with Valeria’s sentencing hearing reportedly scheduled for Dec. 13.