John Smith (murderer)

John David Smith III (born 1951) is an American murderer convicted of killing his first wife and also believed to have murdered his second, although her body has never been located. Additionally skull fragments were found in a locker owned by him that belonged to a third, unidentified, woman. Photographs of two unidentified women were also found in his possession and formed the basis for ongoing "Jane Doe" inquiries.^[1] In 2014, one of the women was identified and found alive.^[2]

Smith's case was documented in a Lifetime movie titled Murder on Pleasant Drive,^[3] an episode of Cold Case Files and the books Stranger in my Bed by Michael Fleeman^[4] and My Sister Is Missing: Bringing a Killer to Justice" by Sherrie Gladden-Davis.^[5] The case of John Smith was also featured on Medical Detectives and on Forensic Files season 9, episode 19: Deadly Matrimony.

Relationship with Janice Hartman

Smith married Janice Hartman (b. 2 March 1951) on June 30, 1970 when they were both 19. A troubled marriage ensued; Garry Hartman, Janice's brother, said that Smith was abusive when he visited the couple for the first time. Hartman left Smith in 1974 and headed back to Ohio intending to divorce him. A few days later, after filing for divorce, she disappeared.^[6]

Disappearances

Soon after Hartman went missing, Smith's brother Michael observed him building a narrow box at their grandfather's house which John claimed was to contain some of Janice's belongings. In 1979 their grandfather discovered the box and called Michael. He opened the box to find a dismembered corpse with rainbow hair which he believed to be Janice Hartman's body. He notified his brother of the discovery. John stopped by the residence, picked up the box and headed to Indiana to dispose of the body.^[6]

Smith's second wife Betty Fran Gladden Smith,^[1] whom he married in March 1990,^[6] disappeared from West Windsor Township, New Jersey on October 4, 1991. Prior to her disappearance, she had been unable to leave her home due to a broken hip.

Investigation and prosecution

Michael Smith, guilt-ridden from the knowledge of what his brother had done, turned to drinking, but kept his secret until 1999. That year he revealed the facts of his gruesome discovery to an FBI agent investigating the disappearances of John Smith's wives. Police in Ohio and Indiana were issued a notice to be on the lookout for such a box. It was subsequently discovered that the box had been found in 1980 by the Highway Department in an Indiana field, but the victim, unidentified at the time, had been listed as a "Jane Doe".^[6]

Smith was arrested in October 2000 in Escondido, California,^[7] where he was living with his third wife.^[8] His trial began on 2 July 2001 and he was convicted later that month of the murder of Janice Hartman in 2000 and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.^[6] His first parole date was in 2011.^[9] He unsuccessfully appealed his conviction in 2002.^[10] The family of Janice Hartman sought civil damages against Smith's grandmother and brother for their alleged involvement in covering up Smith's crime for over twenty years, but the claims were unsuccessful.^[6] Smith remains incarcerated at Marion Correctional Institution.

References