In the summer of 2018, the life of 39-year-old Margaret Elizabeth Smith was tragically cut short in her Frankfort, Kentucky home. On the morning of July 3rd, she was discovered by a family member, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The investigation into her death quickly identified a person of interest: her 38-year-old ex-boyfriend, Derek Garten.
Authorities revealed that Smith had an active emergency protective order against Garten, a detail that painted a grim picture of a volatile relationship.
The day before her murder, Smith had contacted both the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the county attorney to express her fear of Garten after he made threatening posts about her and her son on social media. In the days following the discovery of Smith's body, law enforcement launched a search for Garten, who was considered armed and dangerous. They located his vehicle in western Franklin County, leading them to believe he was still in the area and possibly receiving assistance. During the manhunt, another man, 37-year-old Billy Turner, was arrested and charged with complicity to murder and complicity to tampering with physical evidence in connection with Smith's death.
The search for Garten culminated in a tense standoff at a Lexington motel. After several hours of negotiation with the Lexington Police Emergency Response Unit and the Crisis Negotiation Unit, Garten surrendered peacefully, throwing a gun out of his motel room window before being taken into custody. While on the run, Garten had reportedly posted a confession on his Facebook page, admitting to the shooting. He was subsequently held on a $500,000 bond. The investigation brought to light a history of abuse, with court documents revealing that Smith had previously accused Garten of choking her, hitting her with a gun, and threatening to kill her and her family.
