Metro Crime Stoppers Jacquelyn Smith.
Jacquelyn Smith, stabbed to death in December of 2018, was allegedly killed by her husband and stepdaughter, according to Baltimore police.
Initially, her family members told police that Smith was stabbed by a panhandler after Smith offered a needy woman money. Her husband, Keith Smith, called 911 and drove her to the hospital, where Smith died from her injuries.
But now police say that Keith Smith and his daughter Valeria, 28, concocted the panhandler story in order to cover up the murder. Keith and Valeria were arrested March 3, 2019, in Harlingen, Texas, which is near the Mexican border. Both are charged with first-degree murder. During a news conference Sunday night, police did not go into detail as to what led investigators to the two suspects. You can read more about the case and the two suspects here.
According to Baltimore police, Smith was stabbed in the chest along the 1000th block of Valley Street in east Baltimore. The attack happened shortly after midnight on December 1, 2018.
The Baltimore Sun reports that Smith was riding in the passenger seat. She and her husband and stepdaughter had just left a family gathering, according to WBFF-TV.
Keith Smith told police that they spotted a woman a baby and a cardboard sign that read “Please help me feed my baby.” He claimed that when Jacquelyn lowered the window to give the woman money, a man approached, tried to steal her wallet and stabbed Jacquelyn during the struggle. But police now say this never happened.
Baltimore police said officers met the family at a nearby hospital within a few minutes of the stabbing. Smith died from her injuries at the hospital.
According to CBS Baltimore, Smith lived in Aberdeen, Maryland in Harford County. A friend described Smith as “a very loving, caring person. A very hard working woman. Just…just sweet.”
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