BALTIMORE, Md. – A man who claimed his wife was stabbed in the chest after rolling down a window to give money to a panhandler has been arrested in her death.
WBAL reported that police now believe the death of 52-year-old Jacquelyn Smith was staged by her family.
Keith Smith, the victim’s husband, and his daughter, Valeria Smith, were arrested Sunday and charged with first-degree murder.
Jacquelyn Smith died Dec. 1 of last year. The original story, which police now say is false, was that she was driving through a Baltimore neighborhood with her family at 12:30 a.m. when she rolled down her window to give money to a panhandler.
The family said they saw a woman who appeared to be carrying a baby and holding a cardboard sign asking for help.
Jacquelyn Smith was sitting in the passenger seat and rolled down her window to hand the woman some money, according to Keith Smith’s original story.
A man then approached the car and tried to steal Smith’s wallet, according the suspect. The victim was stabbed in the chest and died after being taken to a hospital.
“The information and the evidence points to it was not a panhandler,” said Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. “People took advantage of Baltimore.”
Police have not released details on the exact circumstances surrounding Jacquelyn Smith’s death.