Family, Friends Say They Weren't Shocked By Husband, His Daughter's Arrests In Jacquelyn Smith Case
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — After months of waiting, some form of relief has come for family and friends, as arrests were made Sunday in the brutal murder of Jacquelyn Smith.
Friends of Jacquelyn's said this is the news they had been waiting for, and while they are horrified and sad, they are not shocked by the outcome.
Call it a mother's instinct, but Anna Trisvane said she knew from the moment Keith Smith called her about her daughter's death that something was not right.
"I always have doubts about, you know, the story he was telling," Trisvane said.
One the phone from Rhode Island, Tisvane told WJZ she was immediately skeptical of the story told to police.
"My daughter was the type of person who was cautious. If somebody came to her window, at two clock in the morning in the rain, begging for money, she would tell them, no, go get a job. I'm not giving them nothing," Trisvane said.
TIMELINE: What We Know About The Jacquelyn Smith Case
Three months later, Keith Smith and his daughter Valeria were charged with Jacquelyn's murder.
Reactions have been powerful, the family's church posted on Facebook, "in light of the recent challenging events, we still give God praise,"
Keith Smith told police the panhandler who stabbed his wife was begging for money in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain. Many of those who know East Baltimore saw through that story right away.
"These are opportunists and I'm glad they were caught," said Councilman Brandon Scott.
Scott said the story police said Keith Smith spun took advantage of Baltimore's issues.
"If you're someone like me who's from a rough part of Baltimore, you know that panhandlers typically don't go on side streets in East Baltimore. Why would they? How much car traffic would they get there?" Scott said.
Mayor Catherine Pugh released a statement on the arrests, calling this a "double tragedy,"
Jacquelyn's mother praised the fast work by police.
"This was quick, I'm glad, yeah. I prayed every night, you know, cause they killed my daughter. She was my baby," Trisvane said.
The reactions from those close to Jacquelyn are heartbreaking, and even strangers have rallied around this story, launching a Facebook group dedicated to bringing justice for Jacquelyn.
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