Woman gets 5 years for panhandler killing cover story

BALTIMORE (AP) — A woman who helped her father cover up his wife’s 2018 murder with a tale of a knife-wielding panhandler has been sentenced to five years in prison. The Baltimore Sun reports that Valeria Smith was sentenced Monday, two years after pleading guilty to acting as an accessory after the slaying of Jacquelyn Smith. She admitted to ditching her stepmother’s purse at a bus stop to support the story. Keith Smith told police his wife was knifed after handing money to a panhandler. The story drew national attention, but eventually fell apart. Valeria Smith testified at her father’s trial that her stepmother was dozing when Keith Smith stabbed her. Keith Smith was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday.