The Murder of Michael Lee Smith
For this case I watched an episode of Murder In The Heartland. It’s season 1 episode 6, titled ‘A Deceitful Heart.’
A 30 year old father of three is killed in a small Michigan town.
Background
Michael Lee Smith
Michael Smith met his wife Rebecca while they were both in the Navy. They lived with their two sons in Berkley, Michigan. Berkley is a small town about 25 minutes outside of Detroit. Michael also had a daughter from a previous relationship.
Michael worked at a car dealership in Royal Oak. He was described as being very kind and gentle, but had some issues with alcohol.
The Discovery
On December 19, 2002, the Oakland County Sheriff’s office received a call about a body being found on Oak Hill Road. A man had been out collecting cans, when he stumbled over a body in a ditch.
The body was of a partially naked white male, in his 30-40’s. The man was only wearing a Detroit Tigers t-shirt, and his wedding ring. He also had a tattoo of the grim reaper on his arm. It was clear to the police that he had been shot.
The man didn’t have any identification on him, so the police went to the media for help.
The Identification
The next day, on December 20, a call came into the police station from Rebecca Smith. She said she saw the news report, and that her husband Michael had gotten the grim reaper tattoo in the Navy.
Michael was positively identified, and the police went to Rebecca’s apartment to give her the news. The police also wanted to speak to her about the last time she saw Michael.
Rebecca told the police that they had been evicted the previous week, and that Michael made the decision to go to rehab in Florida, where his family lived. She said she took Michael to the bus station on December 10, after the two go into an argument about their financial situation. She said Michael told her they’d work on their relationship, and that she watched him walk away.
The Investigation
The police also wanted to speak to Michael’s co-workers. They said they didn’t really know Michael that well, but that no one had seen him for awhile, and he hadn’t shown up for work on December 12.
It was determined by Michael’s autopsy that he died sometime between December 9-19, and was found about ten days later. It also was determined that Michael had been shot twice in the heart, and once in the abdomen, and suffered head trauma. This wasn’t all, Michael had also been frozen before being dumped on the side of the road.
The police brought Rebecca in for questioning again. They asked her to go over her story. She told them that Michael hadn’t been paying the rent, and that her grandpa had helped them get a new apartment. She said this was the final straw for her, but Michael told her he was going to go to rehab.
The police believed Rebecca for now, but they wanted to look further into the couple’s background.
Small Town Rumors
The police contacted the Greyhound station, and no one saw Michael or remembered him purchasing a ticket.
The police spoke to Michael’s co-workers again, and on January 2, 2003, they were contacted by one of his co-workers. The co-worker said that they had seen Michael at a gay bar, and that he was possibly having an affair with a man.
The police followed up with the tip, and someone from the bar did remember Michael, but that he had hit on women while being at the bar. It was never proven that Michael had an affair with a man, or an affair of any kind.
A New Suspect
The police questioned Rebecca several times throughout the investigation, and one day she mentioned her friend Randy to them. Randy had been a co-worker of Rebecca’s, and someone that Rebecca said was interested in her.
The police looked into Randy, and discovered that Randy was an avid hunter, and owned a .38 caliber gun.
The police brought Randy in for questioning. They confronted him with statements that Rebecca had made about it. She had told them that he said he would kill Michael himself. Randy said he never said that, and that Rebecca was the one who wanted to kill Michael, and that she asked to borrow a gun.
It was a he said she said. Rebecca said she never said she wanted to kill Michael, and never asked to borrow a gun. The police didn’t have any evidence against either of them, and they were let go.
Rebecca’s Changing Stories
After Michael’s family held a memorial for him in Florida, Michael’s cousin Brenda became an informant. Michael’s family was very suspicious of Rebecca, and Brenda said she was in contact with the police while taking notes when she spoke with Rebecca.
Michael with his cousin Brenda (right).
The police were also looking into all of Rebecca’s stories. Rebecca told Brenda that she had taken Michael’s boots to sell, and had sold some of his other items.
The police also drove Rebecca’s route from their apartment to the bus station. They realized she would have had to pass her grandparents house, where the kids were staying. The police wondered why Michael wouldn’t have wanted to say goodbye to the kids, if he was only going away temporarily.
The police also obtained the couple’s phone records. On December 10, Michael had called Rebecca’s grandparents at 8:30pm looking for her. The police confronted Rebecca about this, and she said she lied. She said that Michael had actually come back to the apartment after she dropped him off, and that she took him to the bus station the next day.
The police asked her to take a polygraph test, as well as Randy. Rebecca failed her test, but Randy passed twice. Randy was cleared as a suspect. Rebecca still denied killing Michael, and asked for an attorney.
A Confession?
Michael’s case went cold for about five years. It wasn’t until 2007 when Rebecca slipped up when speaking to Brenda. Rebecca mentioned that Michael had a $200,000 life insurance policy.
The police looked into this, and discovered that Rebecca had called the life insurance company shortly before Michael died. She was arrested on May 21, 2007, and charged with open murder.
While Rebecca was in jail, Rebecca wrote her sister and friend a letter asking them to draft three letters to the judge, lawyer and newspaper, asking them to pretend to be the real killer. In the letter, Rebecca told them what to write by giving them the details of what happened to Michael.
She told them that Michael had been shot several times in the kitchen on December 10. After he died, she wrapped him in a tarp, and threw up from seeing what she had just done. Some of her throw up had gotten onto Michael’s pants, so they were removed. She then dumped him on that isolated road after several days.
After the police found out about these letters, they obtained a warrant for Rebecca’s home. They did find blood in the floor boards of the home, which was confirmed as being Michael’s.
Trial and Conviction
At Rebecca’s trial, the prosecution’s theory was that Rebecca wanted Michael’s life insurance money, and her defense said that the case was all circumstantial.
On November 20, 2007, Rebecca was found guilty of second degree murder. She was sentenced to 30-60 years in prison.
Rebecca Smith
Other
In 2010, Rebecca appealed her conviction, and in return got five years taken off her original sentence.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s strange to me that Rebecca was quiet for five years, and then decided to randomly bring up the money one day. It’s almost like she wanted to get caught. The more she talked, the more she dug herself into a deeper hole. The letters also didn’t help her. How else would she know about what happened to Michael? Plus, everything she said matched the autopsy. Rebecca is exactly where she needs to be, and it’s scary knowing that she could get out soon.
I feel so bad for Michael’s family, especially his kids. His daughter was interviewed in this episode, and she said she only remembers her dad in bits and pieces. I couldn’t imagine not having my dad in my life, and I always feel the worst for the kids who don’t have their parents to be there at every life event.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/michael-lee-smith-murder-where-is-rebecca-smith-now/
https://www.imdb.com/news/ni61852589
https://clarkstonnews.com/woman-arrested-in-2002-open-murder-of-husband/
