Baltimore — The investigation into a woman’s murder on the streets of Baltimore has taken an unexpected turn. In December, Jacquelyn Smith’s husband and stepdaughter claimed she was stabbed to death after rolling down her car window to give money to a panhandler with a baby. But now, police said the story was all a lie.
Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the real killers are the husband and stepdaughter themselves, Keith and Valeria Smith. They were arrested Sunday morning in Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Mayor Catherine Pugh had called Keith Smith in December to express her condolences.
“There was conversations that were had, I always tell people that the streets talk, the streets always talk,” Pugh said.
Jacquelyn Smith’s mother, Anna Trisvane, doubted Keith Smith’s story from the beginning.
“It was phony, I knew it was phony. She had everything and he had nothing, and I guess maybe that’s what he wanted, you know to take everything she had,” Trisvane said.
The case drew national attention to a city struggling with a crime and image problem, and a tweet from Oprah Winfrey said the story “struck my heart.”
Police are not discussing a possible motive right now. Shortly after Smith’s death, her husband came to city hall to meet with the mayor. He was proposing legislation to make panhandling a crime.
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