In a secluded area of a new housing development in Bibb County, Georgia, a tragic and calculated crime unfolded on August 31, 1974, ending the lives of 38-year-old Joseph Ronald Akins and his new wife, 29-year-old Juanita Knight Akins. The couple, who had been married for only twenty days, were brutally murdered by close-range shotgun blasts. The investigation that followed would unravel a sinister plot orchestrated by Joseph Akins' former wife, Rebecca Akins Smith Machetti.
The motive behind the heinous act was a scheme to collect the proceeds from Joseph Akins' life insurance policies and other benefits, of which Rebecca Machetti and her three daughters with Akins were the beneficiaries. Living in North Miami Beach, Florida, at the time, Rebecca conspired with her new husband, John Eldon Smith, who also went by the alias Anthony Isalldo Machetti, and another man named John Maree to carry out the murders. Maree, who was to be paid $1,000 for his involvement, later became a key witness for the prosecution.
According to Maree's testimony, he and Smith traveled to Macon, Georgia, where they lured Joseph Akins to the secluded location under the pretense of a job to install a television antenna. A note found on Akins' body provided directions to the spot where he and his wife would be ambushed. When the couple arrived, Smith opened fire with a shotgun, killing them both while they were still in their car. Smith and Maree then returned to Florida.
The investigation led to the arrests of Rebecca Machetti, John Eldon Smith, and John Maree. In separate trials, both Rebecca Machetti and John Eldon Smith were convicted on two counts of murder and initially sentenced to death. Due to his cooperation with the authorities, John Maree received a life sentence. Rebecca Machetti's death sentence was later commuted to life in prison. John Eldon Smith, however, was executed by the state of Georgia via the electric chair on December 15, 1983.
