BALTIMORE _ Keith Smith, the man who is accused of killing his wife and blaming it on a panhandler in Baltimore, had rented a home and car in Florida before fleeing to Texas, according to authorities.
Smith, 52, and his daughter, Valeria Smith, 28, were arrested Sunday in Combes, Texas, and are awaiting extradition back to Baltimore, where they face first-degree murder charges in Jacquelyn Smith's death on Dec. 1.
The Baltimore Police Department learned Keith Smith had rented a 2019 Toyota Camry through Enterprise in Haines City, Fla., on March 1, Polk County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sherrie M. Morgan said. Smith drove the rental car south through Texas, where a "be on the lookout" alert was issued to law enforcement through the Department of Homeland Security the same day, Morgan said.
Two days later, Smith was arrested by Texas State Police following a traffic stop, Morgan said. Keith Smith and Valeria Smith were taken into custody. Interim Police Commissioner Michael Harrison announced charges against the Smiths on Sunday.
The family had at first blamed a pair of panhandlers who stopped their car at an East Baltimore intersection, saying Jacquelyn Smith gave a woman with a baby money and was then fatally stabbed by a man.
Jacquelyn Smith's brother previously told The Baltimore Sun that Keith Smith told the family he was relocating to Florida.
Morgan said Keith Smith moved from Maryland to Winter Haven on Feb. 12. He signed a yearlong lease for a modest home at 4030 Cypress Landing East in Winter Haven on Feb. 21 and moved in the following day. Valeria Smith was believed to be living with him, Morgan said.
On Tuesday, a search warrant for Smith's Florida residence was executed and "evidence" was collected, Morgan said.
Morgan declined to provide additional information about what items were recovered in the search.
