In a quiet northwest Oklahoma City apartment, a tragic story unfolded, ending the life of 76-year-old Connie Smith. On August 13, 2023, police were dispatched to an apartment located at 5340 NW 42nd Street after receiving a shooting report. Upon their arrival, they found Connie Smith, a White female, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. The incident was the city's 50th homicide of the year.
Remaining at the scene was Connie's 48-year-old son, Shane Smith, who was taken into custody
by the responding officers. It was later revealed that Shane Smith himself had called 911 and informed the authorities that he had killed his mother. He confessed to the act, and after being interviewed by police, he was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a complaint of first-degree murder.
The investigation brought to light a somber motive behind the tragic event. Shane Smith claimed that he and his mother had a pact that if her health deteriorated to a point where she could no longer function, he was supposed to shoot her. He told investigators that he also had intended to take his own life but was unable to follow through. At the scene, investigators discovered two firearms and a suicide note.
Neighbors described Connie and Shane Smith as individuals who kept to themselves. The case proceeded through the legal system, and by August 17, 2023, Shane Smith was formally charged with the murder of his mother. The determination of Connie Smith's health at the time of her death was left to the medical examiner as part of the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
