The Murder of Carlie Brucia
Warning, this case involves crimes against a child.
This case was hard to get through, but for my research I watched the newest episode of See No Evil. It’s season 7 episode 1, titled ‘Come Home Carlie.’
An 11 year old is abducted, and it’s caught on camera. The police search for clues to catch this predator.
Background
Carlie Brucia
Carlie Brucia was an 11 year old girl, she was living in Sarasota, Florida, with her mom and step-dad. Carlie also frequently visited her dad in Long Island, New York, and was very close with both of her parents.
Carlie was described as being kind and caring to everyone. Her family said she was always happy, and seemed to have a smile on her face.
Disappearance
On February 1, 2004, Super Bowl Sunday, Carlie was still at her friend Danielle’s house around 6pm. She had spent the previous night, and wanted to return to her mom’s house before the game started. Carlie said she would walk home, as she only lived a mile from Danielle’s.
Danielle’s mom called Carlie’s mom, Susan, to let her know that Carlie was walking home. Susan sent Steve, Carlie’s step-dad, to go out and pick her up. Steve later said he and Susan were on the phone the whole time, and he said he couldn’t find Carlie.
He returned home and they called 911. Susan said Carlie was last seen around 6pm. The Sarasota police arrived at the Brucia home. They also went to Danielle’s to talk to her parents.
A BOLO (be on the lookout) was put out for Carlie.
The Abduction
The next day, February 2, Carlie’s friends returned to school hoping that Carlie would just show up. She didn’t, and the police started their search by using scent dogs. The dogs sniffed Carlie’s pillowcase, and it led them to a car wash off B Ridge Road. The dogs tracked Carlie’s scent through the parking lot, and it ended near the rear end of the car wash.
Next, the police searched for surveillance cameras, and found several of them. The cameras faced the parking lot and rear side of the car wash. They decided to start the tapes around 6:20pm.
The first camera was of the front parking lot, and it didn’t show anything. The second camera was at the rear side, and it was motion activated. The police waited and suddenly, at 6:21pm, Carlie is seen in her red tshirt and jeans, walking through the parking lot, when a man approaches her. Carlie is grabbed and she and the man walk off.
The police are stunned at what they saw. The man in the footage was a white male, stocky, of average height with dark hair.
Investigation
The police start their investigation with questioning those closest to Carlie. Carlie’s step-dad, Steve, is questioned. Steve said he and Susan were in contact and looking for Carlie when she didn’t come home. Steve’s phone records match his story, and he’s cleared. However, he did mention a name to the police: Ron Shoket.
Ron Shoket had been at Danielle’s house the night before and the day of Carlie’s disappearance. He had been dating Danielle’s mom. Steve also mentioned to them that he had seen a red tow truck on B Ridge Road, when he was searching for Carlie. He also saw the same red truck in Danielle’s driveway. The car was Ron’s, and he said he was on B Ridge Road looking for Carlie.
Ron said at the time of Carlie’s disappearance he was at work. The police went to Ron’s work and they said Ron was at work the whole time. He was cleared.
The police had to go back to the surveillance to look any clues they might have missed. They realized that the man was wearing a jumpsuit that had a name tag on it. The video was too blurry, and they couldn’t see the name, even after using software to clean up the footage.
By this point, the tape was all over the news. The police set up a call center, hoping to receive tips on what happened to Carlie or who the man in the video was. They received over 700 tips, and finally a lead that would lead them to their suspect.
The Man in the Footage
On Tuesday, February 3, the police received a call from a man saying he knew the man in the footage. The man was his business partner, and his name was Joesph Smith. The caller could tell by his walk and his uniform.
The police ran Joseph’s background, Joseph was a 37 year old man, he worked as a mechanic and had three kids. Joseph also had a lengthy record, dating back to 1993. They also found out that Joesph was on probation at the time, and that he drove a brown Lincoln.
Joseph Smith and a still of the surveillance footage.
The police went back to the surveillance tape, to see if they could find Joseph’s car anywhere on the tape. At 6:18pm, they saw a vehicle in the parking lot, but it wasn’t a Lincoln. The car was a light tan station wagon, but the footage was blurry and they couldn’t make out the license plate or who was driving the car. They needed to find the driver of the car.
The police wanted to speak to Joseph Smith because he was still a person of interest. They went to Joseph’s, and he said he was at home during the Super Bowl, and his landlord, Mimi could verify it. The police also showed Joseph the surveillance photo, and he said it looked like him but, it wasn’t.
Mimi Pinkus, the landlord did verify Joseph’s alibi. Joseph was arrested that day for violating his parole, after the police searched his car and found drugs.
A Witness
That same day, around 7pm, a man came in to speak to the police. His name was Jeff Pinkus, he was Mimi’s husband and landlord of Joseph.
Jeff also drove a light colored Buick station wagon, which he had loaned to Joseph the day Carlie disappeared. Part of Jeff’s interview is heard in this episode. He said Mimi had gotten the dates wrong, and Joseph asked if he could borrow the station wagon. Jeff said Joseph left around 3pm that day, and didn’t return the car until Monday morning.
Jeff also said Joseph had done something in that car. He said the backseat was down and things were moved all over the place. Jeff said he saw the news footage of Carlie’s case and also recognized Joseph, as being the man on the tape.
A Confession
Joseph Smith was brought in for a formal interview. The police said they needed to know what happened to Carlie.
Joseph said he was advised to talk to a lawyer, and the interview was over. However, just because he didn’t talk to police doesn’t mean he didn’t talk at all.
Joseph had called his brother John, while in jail, and confessed. John, then called the police. John said Joseph said he killed and sexually assaulted Carlie. He then said Carlie’s body was behind the church on Proctor Road, in the woods.
Carlie Brucia was found behind that church. She had been strangled and brutally assaulted.
Trial and Conviction
Joseph’s brother John, testified at the trial. He said Joseph had confessed everything to him, and he also recognized Joseph from the surveillance tape.
Joseph’s DNA and hair fibers were also found on Carlie, proving he killed her.
The police’s theory was that Joseph took the Pinkus’ car, took a mixture of different drugs and saw Carlie walking home. He then abducted, assaulted and killed her.
On October 24, 2005, Joseph Smith was found guilty of first degree murder, sexual battery on a child under 12 and kidnapping. The jury had voted 10-2 for the death penalty.
On March 15, 2006, Joseph Smith was sentenced to death by lethal injection for the murder of Carlie and to life in prison without parole for kidnapping and assault. Circuit Court Judge Andrew Owens said:
“Carlie endured unspeakable trauma, which began at the time of her kidnapping. The image of the defendant taking her arm and leading her away will no doubt forever be etched in our minds. During the sexual and physical abuse Carlie was subjected to, at 11 years of age, there is no doubt she was aware of her dire predicament and that she had little or no hope of survival. Her death was consciousless and pitiless. calculated and premeditated.”
Carlie
Other
On July 18, 2017, Joseph’s death sentence was vacated. A new bill was signed that a unanimous vote by the jury had to be intact to impose the death penalty. Joseph was supposed to get a new sentencing hearing, but as of 2019, it was delayed.
John Smith, Joseph’s brother, thinks he killed a young girl in 2000. Tara Reilly was found dead in Bradenton, Florida, behind a Walmart. Her case received no attention, and her family is still looking for answers.
Carlie’s mom, Susan Schorpan passed away at 47 years old, after a battle with a drug addiction.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I actually got chills watching the surveillance footage. It’s just so eery and actually very lucky that was caught on camera. Who knows if this case would have been solved without it, maybe since his DNA was found on Carlie, but I’m happy that this case was solved so fast. The police did an amazing job in this case.
All police departments should be like the Sarasota PD, and all states should have to look for a missing person after they are reported, especially a child! It makes me so angry when I hear about cases having to wait for a certain amount of time to report a loved one missing.
Joseph Smith is absolute scum, and I believe he is capable of having done this before. If he wouldn’t have been caught, there would 100% be more victims, it’s tragic that Carlie had to be one of them.
Sources
https://www.thecinemaholic.com/carlie-brucia-murder/
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-murder-of-carlie-brucia-971024
https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article144248734.html
