On the evening of March 16, 2015, in Spotsylvania, Virginia, 44-year-old Sean Smith, a Black male, was fatally shot in his home on Harrison Road. His wife, Laurence Marie-Flora Smith, placed a 911 call around 5:45 p.m., initially reporting that she had accidentally shot her husband while cleaning a gun. When deputies arrived, they found Sean Smith deceased from a single gunshot wound.
Though the incident was first presented as an accident, the investigation by detectives soon pointed toward foul play based on forensic evidence and inconsistencies in Laurence Smith's statements. This led to her arrest on charges of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The couple's children were present in the home at the time of the shooting but were unharmed. Following her arrest, Laurence Smith was held without bond.
As the case proceeded, a grand jury indicted Laurence Smith on a more severe charge of first-degree murder on June 15, 2015. During the ensuing four-day jury trial, it was stipulated that Sean Smith's death was not a suicide and that the fatal shot was fired from at least four feet away, entering his mouth. The prosecution presented evidence suggesting that the couple had been arguing before Laurence Smith retrieved her gun.
Ultimately, the jury found Laurence Maria Smith guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. The jury recommended a sentence of ten years' imprisonment, which the court imposed. Her conviction was later affirmed by the Court of Appeals of Virginia.
