"48 Hours" cameras capture emotional verdict reaction
Alicia Tejada is a "48 Hours" associate producer. Here, she describes the emotional scene inside a courtroom after a Florida mother was convicted in her husband's shooting death. Saturday's all-new episode, "The Verdict," asked viewers to weigh in on whether the jury got it right. Watch the full episode online.
SANFORD, Fla. -- I've been in the news business a short time, but I've witnessed two people convicted of murder. During murder trials, judges usually instruct those in court not to show any emotion until court is officially adjourned and all parties are excused.
However, in the case of Anita Smithey, 46, this is far from what I saw.
On the evening of Nov. 20, 2014, a jury of six convicted Smithey of killing her husband, Robert Cline. Less than three hours had gone by since the jury started deliberations.
Smithey's defense claimed she was "standing her ground" when she shot Cline, her estranged husband, in her bed in her Florida home on May 4, 2010. She said he was raping her, and she had bruises and cuts to prove it. But prosecutors said Smithey was a willing sex partner and had actually engaged in "date rape" scenarios with Cline. They said Smithey shot him because she wanted him to go home, and he would not.
The evening of the verdict, I remember sitting inside the media room next to courtroom 5B at the Seminole County Courthouse in Sanford, Florida. Our sound man told us he heard the "knock" indicating the jury had reached a verdict.
It was as though our hearts skipped a beat. Veteran correspondent Peter Van Sant, my producer and crew were all sitting down thinking the same thing: "No matter how much we work these stories, it's been a long and painful two weeks, and there are never any winners in these situations."
The jury walked in, and I didn't notice any of the jurors make eye contact with the defense or the prosecution. The court clerk read the verdict out loud. Smithey was found guilty of second-degree murder.
That was the moment I witnessed something you only hear about in Hollywood movies. Smithey began to cry loudly and collapsed before one of her attorneys, Ryan Belanger, took hold of her.
It was a loud and desperate cry. She held on to her lead counsel, Rick Jancha, who stood stoic, staring at the judge.
Robert Cline's family burst into tears, and they cried loudly as well. For them, the end of the four-and-a-half years they spent awaiting trial was bittersweet.
I turned to my left to look at Phil Andry, Smithey's father. He traveled from Indiana and had been in court every day for the trial. He later told us that he even sold his family's farm in order to pay for Smithey's defense team.
Smithey sobbed and sobbed, but Judge Kenneth Lester -- the same judge who presided over the initial (and infamous) George Zimmerman bail hearings -- ignored it. Instead, he asked the prosecution and the defense if they'd like the jury polled. Even then, from the back of the court room, I could hear Anita's crying.
I turned to look at the Cline children. Their faces were full of tears and the hugging never stopped.
The prosecution requested that Smithey remain in custody while awaiting sentencing. Judge Lester ruled in their favor. At that moment, a court deputy attempted to handcuff Smithey, but she wouldn't let go of her attorney, clenching onto his arm.
Finally, as Smithey continued to wail, two court deputies took hold of her, handcuffed and wheeled her out of the courtroom on her chair in order to take her into custody.
In this report we lay out the facts. We give the audience an opportunity to decide -- did the jury get it right?