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Father and Daughter Await Extradition in Murder of Jacquelyn Smith

THE AFRO — The alleged murder of a woman known as a “good samaritan,” by a panhandler shocked many in Baltimore.

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By Michelle Richardson

The alleged murder of a woman known as a “good samaritan,” by a panhandler shocked many in Baltimore, a city sometimes numb to violence. This week, in a gruesome real-life plot twist that woman’s husband and stepdaughter have been charged in her murder.

Originally, Keith Smith, 52, of Aberdeen and Valeria Smith, 28, of Baltimore told the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), his wife Jacquelyn Anne Smith, 54, was stabbed by a panhandler after she rolled down her window in a blighted East Baltimore neighborhood in December to give money to a man and woman who claimed they were trying to feed their baby.

For several weeks, waves of outrage rippled from Baltimore across the nation; even media titan Oprah Winfrey weighed in on the killing in December when she tweeted, “This story struck my heart. I’ve done this 1k times. But will think twice before ever doing again. To J.S. family I hope her death gets people “woke to change!”” wrote Winfrey.

In the aftermath of his wife’s alleged murder, Keith Smith and his daughter Valeria made emotional public pleas for information that would lead to the capture of the killer of their loved one; they made the round on local news stations, flyers were made and distributed throughout neighborhoods.

But, on March 3 BPD announced they charged Smith and his daughter with the murder of Jacquelyn Smith.

The father and daughter duo were caught by Texas State Troopers trying to escape the U.S. near the U.S.-Mexico border and were arrested in Combes, Texas. They had allegedly told family members they were moving to Florida.

Both are being held without bail in Texas and are expected to be extradited to Baltimore before March 20, according to charging documents.

“The information and evidence points it wasn’t a panhandler…People are taking advantage of Baltimore. We want to make sure the truth comes out and justice is done,” said Michael Harrison, BPD acting commissioner, during a press conference on March 4, with Mayor Catherine Pugh and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

“This is an example where collaborative efforts of the Baltimore Police Department and my office were able to get to the truth of the matter,” Mosby said.

“I’m disappointed that the two alleged suspects attempted to take advantage of negative perceptions of our city…We look forward to fighting for justice on behalf of Jacquelyn Smith and her family in a court of law.”

Pugh alluded to the deplorable ruse allegedly perpetrated by the accused murderers.

“Like everyone in our city, state, and across this nation, we mourned the senseless killing of Jacquelyn Smith. To now learn that family members staged this brutal killing is beyond belief and represents a double tragedy,” Pugh said. “They were responsible for taking Jacquelyn’s life with unconscionable cruelty and contrived to do so in our city under the guise of random violence, exploiting the legitimate fears of our residents. I commend our homicide detectives for their expert and tireless work in bringing those truly responsible to justice in this very troubling and sad case,” Pugh added.

Local television station, FOX 45 talked to the mother of Jacquelyn Smith, who said she had her doubts about how her daughter died from the beginning.

“She was just a good person. She liked everybody. She believed in God a lot. It was all phony. I knew it was not real. I suspected that he had something to do with it,” said Trisvan, who added she confronted her now estranged son-in-law at her daughter’s funeral.

“I gave you a beautiful daughter and you let her die like that, I know she didn’t deserve to die the way she died,” she said.

Smith and his daughter are both charged with nine counts of first-degree murder. Police have not established a motive in Jacquelyn Smith’s alleged murder.

This article originally appeared in The Afro

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

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Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)
Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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