Florida man charged with murder 15 years after ex-fiancée Michelle Parker vanished
Dale Smith Jr. arrested in Orlando on second-degree murder charge linked to 2011 disappearance of Michelle Parker. Her body has never been found.
Dale Smith Jr. arrested over Michelle Parker's 2011 disappearance in Orlando
Orlando police arrested Dale Smith Jr. on Wednesday on a single count of second-degree murder, nearly 15 years after his ex-fiancée Michelle Parker vanished without trace, cbsnews.com reports.
Parker, then 33, disappeared on 17 November 2011 — the same day an episode of the reality court show The People's Court aired featuring her and Smith Jr. in a contentious dispute over an engagement ring. She has never been found.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said at a news conference that Smith Jr. was "the last known person to see or hear from Michelle" on the day she went missing, after she had dropped their two children off at his home. Security footage captured that drop-off the night of her disappearance. Her SUV was found abandoned the following day in an Orlando parking lot, and divers recovered her cellphone from a nearby lake in December 2011. Smith Jr. had been regarded as a suspect since around that time.
The police chief said his department had, over the past year, taken "a fresh, focused look at all the evidence." "We reexamined testimony and conflicting statements made by the suspect and used advanced digital forensics to uncover and analyze additional evidence," Smith told reporters.
Detective Phillip McMican said Smith Jr. had been interviewed multiple times and had taken part in several depositions over the years. "Very specific questions were asked of him numerous times over the years, where he gave different answers to those same questions," McMican said.
McMican added that advances in forensic technology had allowed investigators to "better interpret" evidence — including vehicles, electronic devices, phones and computers — that had not been fully exploitable 15 years ago. He also disclosed that "new evidence has been found in the last year," though the precise details of what prompted the arrest were not provided.
In a separate statement, Orlando police said that although Parker's remains have not been located, "all evidence leads to Dale Smith Jr. as the person responsible for Michelle's murder." Smith Jr. has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Source: Google News MT