In the quiet of a late Sunday morning in Waldorf, Maryland, on February 18, 2018, a heated argument shattered the domestic peace of a couple, ending in the tragic death of 37-year-old Tavon Purnell Matthews. Emergency medical services were dispatched to a residence on Oak Manor Drive around 11:25 a.m. for what was initially reported as a medical emergency. Upon their arrival, they discovered Matthews in a bedroom, suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his life could not be saved, and he was pronounced dead shortly after.
The immediate investigation by the Charles County Sheriff's Office pointed to a domestic dispute. Matthews' girlfriend, 31-year-old Tiffany Jade Smith, who lived with him, was identified as the suspect. Investigators learned that the couple had been engaged in a fierce argument just before the fatal shot was fired. Following the gunshot, Smith reportedly called for help, stating that Matthews was bleeding. In the initial stages of the investigation, Smith's account of the incident was inconsistent; she first denied any knowledge of the shooting, then claimed she thought the gun was a BB gun before finally admitting it was a real firearm she had taken from Matthews. A witness at the scene later admitted to hiding the handgun, a Ruger 9mm, in a wooded area behind the residence, but subsequently led detectives to its location.
Tiffany Jade Smith was arrested and initially charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and firearm use in a felony/violent crime. She was held without bond as the legal proceedings began. In January 2019, it was reported that a grand jury had indicted her on charges of first-degree murder, firearm use in a violent crime, and firearm possession with a felony conviction. After several delays in her trial, the case reached its conclusion in June 2019.
On May 21, 2019, Tiffany Jade Smith entered an Alford plea to the lesser charges of manslaughter and possession of a firearm. On June 3, 2019, a Charles County Circuit Court Judge sentenced her to two years in jail. The sentence for the manslaughter charge was ten years with all but two years suspended, and the firearm possession charge carried a five-year suspended sentence. Smith was given credit for the 470 days she had already served while awaiting trial.
