In the quiet town of Orange, Massachusetts, a horrific crime shattered the peace on October 5, 2016, leading to the death of 95-year-old Caucasian male, Thomas Harty. On that Wednesday evening, Harty and his 77-year-old wife, Joanna Fisher, were watching television in their East River Street home when they were subjected to a brutal home invasion that lasted for nearly two hours.
The perpetrators, identified as Joshua Hart, 23, and Brittany Smith, 27, both of Athol, targeted the couple with the intention of stealing their car and money to flee the state. Hart was facing potential jail time for a previous motor vehicle theft, and Smith was trying to avoid a court-ordered drug treatment program.
The assailants chose the elderly couple's home because they owned an older model car without a GPS tracking device. During the home invasion, Thomas Harty was stabbed and suffocated with a pillow. His wife, Joanna Fisher, was also seriously injured in the attack; she was cut, and the attackers attempted to suffocate her as well. After the brutal assault, Hart and Smith stole the couple's 2003 Toyota Corolla station wagon, credit cards, a cell phone, and cash before leaving their victims for dead. Despite her injuries, Fisher managed to crawl to a phone but discovered it had been disabled.
Following the discovery of the crime, Thomas Harty was pronounced dead at the scene. Joanna Fisher was transported to UMass Medical Center with serious injuries. Tragically, she succumbed to her injuries a month later. The suspects, Joshua Hart and Brittany Smith, were apprehended three days after the home invasion in Rockbridge, Virginia. They were found in a U-Haul truck parked in a Walmart parking lot, tracked by law enforcement through the use of the stolen credit cards. Both Hart and Smith confessed to the crimes. They were subsequently charged with murder, attempted murder, and other offenses. In May 2018, both were found guilty and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.
