In November 2020, the life of 26-year-old Destini Smothers, a mother of two from Troy, New York, came to a tragic end. She was last seen in Queens on November 3, 2020, after celebrating her birthday with friends and her boyfriend, Kareem Flake, at a bowling alley in Woodside. Following a heated argument with Flake outside the bowling alley, Smothers disappeared, prompting her family to report her missing days later.
For four agonizing months, her family searched tirelessly, holding out
hope for her safe return. Their hopes were shattered on March 10, 2021, when a tow truck operator, preparing to remove an abandoned Toyota Camry in Springfield Gardens, discovered her decomposing remains in the trunk while looking for a spare tire. The vehicle was determined to belong to Flake. An autopsy revealed that Destini Smothers had died from a gunshot wound to the head and blunt impact trauma that resulted in a skull fracture. Her death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation quickly centered on Kareem Flake, who had been on the run for over a year. He was eventually apprehended in Osceola County, Florida, in April 2022 and extradited back to New York. Flake, the father of Smothers' two children, was indicted by a grand jury and faced charges of murder, kidnapping, and other crimes. Initially pleading not guilty, he later changed his plea.
In July 2023, Kareem Flake pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree. In September 2023, a Queens Supreme Court Justice sentenced him to 22 years in prison, to be followed by five years of post-release supervision. During the sentencing, Smothers' family, who filled the courtroom, had the opportunity to address the man responsible for the loss of their loved one.
