In the early hours of a Sunday morning in the Bronx, the life of 26-year-old Margarita Franco was tragically cut short. On April 2, 2017, police responded to a 911 call and discovered Franco unconscious in front of 761 E. 214th Street. She had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to her head and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical services.
The initial investigation into the young woman's death yielded few immediate answers, and for a time, the case grew cold.
For more than two years, the question of who was responsible for Margarita Franco's death remained unanswered, leaving her family and community searching for justice. The silence was finally broken on September 17, 2019, when the New York Police Department announced a significant development in the case.
Authorities arrested 51-year-old Kenneth Smith in connection with the murder. Smith was taken into custody and subsequently charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. The arrest marked a long-awaited breakthrough in the investigation, bringing a suspect before the law to answer for the violent end to a young life.
