On a tragic day in Ivins, Utah, the life of 49-year-old Caucasian female Shawntell Fletcher Smith was cut short. On May 21, 2021, she was shot and killed in her own home. The events of that fatal Friday unfolded after Shawntell informed her husband, Steven Timothy Smith, of her intention to end their marriage. This decision was met with a violent and irreversible response.
In the wake of her telling him she was leaving, Steven Smith, then 59, became angry.
He briefly left their residence and withdrew a large sum of money. Upon his return, he ordered all non-family members to leave the house. Shortly after, gunshots were heard from within the home. A witness who entered the house discovered Shawntell on the floor, unresponsive with several gunshot wounds. Some of the couple's children were tragically present in the home at the time of the incident.
When Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety officers arrived at the scene, they found Shawntell deceased. Steven Smith was located and taken into custody, observed to have blood on his hands and clothes. During an interview with police, after waiving his Miranda Rights, he admitted to being angry with his wife because she was leaving him. A handgun was later found hidden in a closet in his bedroom with blood on its grip.
Steven Timothy Smith was arrested and booked into the Washington County Jail, charged with first-degree murder. He was held without bail. In the subsequent legal proceedings, he was found guilty of his wife's murder. A judge sentenced him to 15 years to life in Utah State Prison. In a powerful statement reflecting the gravity of the crime, the judge also made a recommendation to the Board of Pardons that Smith remain in prison for the rest of his life, noting the devastating impact on their children, who were now without their mother.
