In March of 2016, a domestic argument in Frankfort, Indiana, escalated to a fatal conclusion, ending the life of 50-year-old Lisa Smith. The woman was shot and killed in her home, a tragedy that would soon lead to the arrest of her husband. Her body was discovered on a Saturday, prompting an immediate investigation by local authorities. The subsequent inquiry quickly focused on her husband, Keith A.
Smith, who was 56 years old at the time and a former deputy town marshal for the nearby town of Colfax.
Keith Smith was taken into custody the same day his wife's body was found and was preliminarily charged with murder. He was held at the Clinton County Jail without bond as prosecutors were given a 72-hour window to file formal charges against him. In his statement to investigators, Smith claimed that he and his wife had been arguing before he retrieved his gun. He alleged that he was demonstrating how they could have a 'suicide pact' and that he had intended to shoot himself but instead shot his wife.
Despite his claims, the investigation proceeded, and prosecutors moved forward with the murder charge. During the trial, a different motive emerged. Prosecutors argued that Keith Smith was driven by jealousy over a relationship his wife had with another man. This narrative painted a picture of a man who, in a fit of rage, used his police weapon to end his wife's life. In September of the following year, a jury convicted him of murder.
At his sentencing hearing, Keith Smith expressed remorse, crying as he begged his wife's family to believe that he had not intended to kill her. However, the court handed down a 50-year prison sentence for the murder of his wife, Lisa Smith.
