48 Hours - Deadly Secret

Episode Date: August 3, 2023

This classic episode of 48 Hours, which last aired on 6/5/2000, takes a look at the September 1994 disappearance of Khristine Smith, a seemingly happy wife and mother. Russ Smith, her husband, claimed that Khristine had abandoned him and their daughter Candace for another man. With no body and little evidence, Detective Dan Westin, head of the cold case unit, was finally able to wear Smith down to the point where he confessed to his crime. 48 Hours correspondent Harold Dow reports. Watch all-new episodes of 48 Hours on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. Russ and Chris seemed like the perfect couple. This is a picture of the day that we got married. He seemed to be very devoted to his wife.

And she was a devoted mother. She was always involved in what Candace did. She would take her to brownies and to the library and read books. Then Chris suddenly vanished. He said, I think she's left me. She had met another man. But something about Russ's story didn't add up. When would Chris have time to have an affair? She was getting candy off to school,

and from there she was cleaning the house. I can't believe she left Candace. I just can't believe that. Russ started a new life with a new girlfriend. Would you call it true love? Definitely. But Chris's friends wouldn't believe that. Russ started a new life with a new girlfriend. Would you call it true love? Definitely. But Chris' friends wouldn't let go. Harold Dow investigates.

Just hit me like a ton of bricks. I got just a gut feeling that she's either hurt or she's killed. And I said, Tim, you're watching way too much TV. Now these detectives are also convinced Russ has something to hide. People cannot keep this kind of a secret forever. A 48 hours mystery. I love Christine

more than anything. Could Russ be hiding a deadly secret? It's one of the hard realities and tough lessons of police work. If you don't solve a murder case in the first 48 hours, odds are you may never solve it. But this is one lesson in the homicide detective's handbook that just might have to be rewritten. How long can someone keep a deadly secret? In the past, maybe forever. The law might never catch up with you. But today there are special teams of detectives, cold case units as they're often called, and they are using new science plus good old-fashioned police work

and proving there really is no statute of limitations on murder. We've been tracking some of these cases all the way to Kalamazoo. As a couple, I thought Russ and Chris were pretty much the perfect couple. That's what many neighbors thought when the Smith family, Christine, Russell, and six-year-old Candace, moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan in the summer of 1993. Then I knocked on their door and I said, hey, I'm Debbie Orr's and I'd like to meet you and come on over, we're having a block party. Next door neighbors Tim and Debbie Orr's

were the first to welcome them into their close-knit, middle-class neighborhood. He liked to fish, he liked to hunt. You know, we kind of hit it off. She was always involved in what Candace did. She would take her to Brownies and to the library and read books. And it just looked like she was this perfect mother. And sometimes I was a little irritated because I felt like, what was I doing wrong? If that wasn't enough, friends like Char

and Rick Lemons said Chris Smith also had a wonderful husband. He was very polite to her. He would open doors for her. He seemed to be very devoted to his wife. Were you happy? Yeah, very much so. 32-year-old Russ Smith, a former police officer, was now service manager of the automotive department at Sears. This is a picture of the day that we got married. But in September of 1994, after eight years of marriage,

Russ Smith says his wife did the unimaginable. She had met another man. 27-year-old Chris Smith left her husband and incredibly abandoned their daughter Candace, leaving her family without warning and without saying goodbye to anyone. There was no trace at all of her. She just would disappear like that. She was the type of person that, on the minute's notice,

she would get up and change her life and just move on. He said, I think she's left me. Russ told the Lemons that his wife had run off with another man. He handed the letter to me and said, you might want to read this. He said Chris had left a handwritten note explaining why. Stating that she had found another man in her life and... And just wanted to start her own life. The note in part read, I want to begin dating. I'm ready to move on.

I got a knock at the door and it was Russell by himself. Russ also told his next door neighbors, the Orrs, what had happened. And he said, I'm sure you've heard, but I want to let you know that Chris has left. Russ says he knew something the neighbors didn't. She would come home with affectionate marks on her neck. Chris was not the angel they thought she was. I think it was pretty evident that there was something going on when she would leave at like 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening after putting Candace to bed and then not coming home until

it was time to get Candace up to get her on the bus in the morning. What did you tell Candace about what happened? That her mother and I had an argument and that she had left the home for another man. But neighbors who knew Chris just couldn't believe it. When would Chris have time to have an affair? Here comes the bus. She was getting candy off to school, and from there she was cleaning the house. She's ironing his shirt. She's doing his laundry.

From there she was mowing the lawn. She's carting her daughter to piano lessons. She's taking her to brownies. her daughter to piano lessons. She's taking her to brownies. And even if Chris could walk out on her marriage, they were certain she would never, ever walk out on her then seven-year-old daughter, Candace. I can't believe she left Candace. I just can't believe that. Their perception of Christine was exactly what they've expressed, that, you know, she was a loving mother, always did everything for Candace. When behind closed doors, things were totally different. But the Orrs wondered if it was Russ Smith hiding something behind closed doors. Behind his garage door.

You saw something one morning. What was it? A boat trailer with a boat on it. A boat was backed into Russ's garage just two days after Chris disappeared. Number one, he didn't have a boat, so my first thinking is, what's he loading up that he didn't want anybody to see? To Tim Orrs, it looked like he was trying to hide something. All of a sudden, it just hit me like a ton of bricks.

Something's not right. I told Debbie, I said, Deb, I got just a gut feeling that she's either hurt or she's killed. And I said, Tim, you're watching way too much TV. But when another neighbor became suspicious, they called the police to report a missing person. My name's Randy Dyloff. I'm a detective with Portia. Detective Randy Dyloff was assigned to the case. My name's Randy Dylow. I'm a detective with Portia. Detective Randy Dylow was assigned to the case. You know, it's not unusual for one spouse or the other to leave for, you know, a short period of time and then get back together.

Detective Dylow found little reason to doubt Russ's story, even from Chris's own family. You know, in talking with her mother, she told me she would not put it past Chris to take off like that, you know, at least for a short period of time. We figured we'd, you know, within a few weeks, we would hear something back from her. But they didn't. Even seven-year-old Candace hadn't heard from her mom. Did you have a chance? Did you try to talk to Candace? He would not allow me to talk to her alone. Then, when Russ wouldn't allow police to search his house Dyloff started to suspect foul play Russ Smith completely transformed his lifestyle visited some nightclubs yes dated some women a couple

okay what was that that all about just not wanting to be alone all the time. He was running date line ads. This is one of the ads. And when Russ ventured, he didn't limit his options. But did he come here a lot? Like five, six times a week. We knew 100% sure that, yes, he did do it. Debbie and Tim Orrs were convinced they were living next door to a murderer. It was very tormenting, very scary.

But police weren't ready to say that. We were basically dealing with a circumstantial case. What did really happen to Christine Smith? All I can do is hope and pray that Candice and I can get through this together. Did Christine abandon her family and commit adultery? Or did her husband commit murder? That's next. In the Pacific Ocean,

halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reached the age of 10 that would still a virgin. It just happens to all of us.

I'm journalist Luke Jones and for almost two years I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn trialsals, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely, Pacific

island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. There was about this Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free on Wondery Plus and the Wondery app.

Months after Chris Smith disappeared, Russ was sticking to his story. His wife of eight years had run off with another man. Meanwhile, Debbie and Tim Orrs were convinced their next-door neighbor was getting away with murder. You know, that's why we were looking out this window. I'd spend hours here just sitting here watching. But police claimed they didn't have enough evidence against Russ Smith to search his home. Finally, just before Christmas, Detective Dyloth got the lead he needed from a friend

of Russ Smith's. The information was coming in that the bathroom had been redone. Russ Smith remodeled an upstairs bathroom within days of his wife's disappearance. Russ had said that he threw something at his wife that morning, and it hit the shower and broke the shower, and that he was going to have to replace it. Rick Lemons told police Russ asked him to help replace the bathtub and tiles damaged during that last fight with Chris. And the detectives had not heard that,

that he had to replace the shower that he'd thrown something at her. Red lights went off. Right. Because Russ had already told Detective Dyloff that the bathroom was the last place he'd seen his wife. Armed with that information, police were finally able to get their search warrant. They searched the house but found no hard evidence that Russ Smith may have been covering up a murder, but they did find something, something they weren't looking for. There were numerous Sears items that were brand new. Russ's home was filled with boxes of brand new merchandise from Sears. We felt that we got a guy that's possibly embezzling from his employer. Yeah, there was a snowblower.

CB radios. Weed eaters. Power equipment. Leaf blowers. You know, we can see everything from our house. Far more disturbing was what they found in Russ's bedroom. Candace's clothes had been moved into Russ's closet, and it appeared his 7-year-old daughter was sharing his bed.

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Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City of comfort between a child and a parent. Child Protective Services didn't see it that way. They charged Russ with improper conduct, immediately moved Candace into a foster home, and allowed Russ only supervised visits. Through conversations, she talked about good touches and bad touches with the counselor, and Candace stated that it's okay for family members to touch you in private areas,

even if you don't want to be touched there. This is what she said. I don't know. I wasn't there. But was she ever touched? If she was, it wasn't by me. With Candace now in foster care, police finally had the chance to interview her one-on-one about the day her mom disappeared five months earlier. Her dad told her that her and her mom had gotten into a fight and that mommy had left, and he told her not to go into the upstairs bathroom. But she did anyway. She said that the bathroom was a terrible mess,

that there were holes in the wall, and that there was blood in the sink. Russ Smith's world was crumbling around him. He spent eight days in jail after charges of embezzlement, and now Candace was a witness to evidence that could be used against him. But Detective Dyloff still needed proof that a murder had in fact even occurred. So until he found a body, a weapon, or a witness, Russ Smith would stay a free man. You know, what kept me going was Tim and Debbie Orr's. We were constantly working on it and watching things even more now.

We took it personal now. Finally, about six months after Chris disappeared, Detective Dylowff got a major break in the case, and it came from Russ Smith himself. After he had been arrested for embezzlement, I transported him to the sheriff's department. Remarkably, out of the blue, Russ Smith seemed ready to strike a deal. I asked him what he felt an appropriate charge would be, and he said probably manslaughter. So Dyloff secretly and legally recorded their conversation. So you would be willing to take two to seven?

It wasn't an outright confession. No time did he say, I killed her, she's dead. But it was a major break. I wish there was some way that you and I could just sit down and write it out like a sign. We'd be done with it. When someone starts talking like that, what does that tell you? That tells me that no doubt he killed his wife. But there was one problem problem one very big problem detective

dailoff didn't read russ his miranda rights and therefore the tape was probably inadmissible in court you know it's that fine line do i talk and try to get information that can take me somewhere else or do i give miranda and shut everything down? With or without Russ's near confession, Detective Dylow maintains he still didn't have enough evidence to arrest Russ Smith. Even with a confession, we still have to have the evidence to establish that a crime occurred and that this person committed the crime. And we didn't have it. You know, when we went back and talked on the the second time when he was

in jail and advised him of miranda rights he basically said you know i don't want to talk to you on an attorney russ smith served eight days for the embezzled merchandise found in his home but in march of 95 incredibly russ smith walked away a free man In 1995, incredibly, Russ Smith walked away a free man. Four years have now passed since Russell Smith's wife, Chris, vanished without a trace. Chris wasn't close to anyone in her family, so it was Russ's parents who adopted Candace out of foster care. Now 11 years old, Candace is living with them in Ohio. And we've told Russ and Russ knows we'll love her and take care of her and protect her as much as we did our other kids.

In the last few years, detectives haven't come up with anything new. But almost everything is new for Russ Smith. He's wonderful. He has is new for Russ Smith. He's wonderful. He has a new girlfriend named Kitty. He actually got me to go parasailing once. And a new home in Florida. Would you call it true love?

Definitely. But what Russ Smith doesn't know is that a new team of investigators called a cold case unit is hot on his trail. I am absolutely certain that he thought that he had gotten away with it. And now it's up to them to make sure Russ Smith does not get away with murder. People cannot keep this kind of a secret forever. That's next on 48 Hours. on 48 Hours.

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This was us in St. Augustine. In the fall of 1998, four years after Chris Smith vanished from her home in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This was a picture of us, Christmas time. Her 36-year-old husband, Russ, was in the thick of a new romance. We have a very strong, healthy relationship. And an entirely new life.

A lot of times we would come out here during the day, we'd bring a blanket, we'd lay out in the sun or swim. Russ met Kitty while he was on a business trip in the fall of 97. We had a fantastic date. Just four months later, he left Michigan to live with her in a small town outside Pensacola, Florida. The time I've spent with him has been absolutely the best time of my life. And even though Kitty says she knew about Russ's former life with Chris... Well, he had told me about what had happened, and he told me that she had taken off. She was certain he was not capable of murder.

You don't live with a person as long as I lived with him and not see if there's some violence, and it's not there. Would you call it true love? Definitely. Definitely. 90 WKZO, Kalamazoo's news talk station. Meanwhile, back in Kalamazoo, Michigan... By the time that we became involved in it,

in Septemberamazoo, Michigan. By the time that we became involved in it in September of 98 he had gotten another job down in Florida. A new police unit was keeping a close eye on Russ Smith. He was managing a tire store. He had taken out a new mortgage. Captain Dan Weston, a 25-year veteran of the police department, was head of a new investigative unit formed to look into unsolved homicides. So we were looking for a case, and it looked like it had leads that needed to be pursued. And the first unsolved case they chose was the disappearance of Chris Smith. I am absolutely certain that he thought that he had gotten away with it. From the start, Russ Smith was their first and only suspect.

It's a very poor alibi to say that his wife ran off with another man leaving behind her car, her rings, cash, a check from work, credit cards and all that sort of thing. So four years after Chris disappeared, the cold case unit re-interviewed everyone who knew russ smith as you can see there are over 120 separate interviews here there has to be someone out there some friend or a co-worker or a family member that he had confided in and they had just the weapon to break their loyalty to Russ. Remember the secretly recorded conversation between Russ Smith and the original detective, Randy Dyloth? His family and friends had never before been told the tape existed. On the tape, Russ seems willing to cop a plea to manslaughter. How do you do, Russ? You write it out for me. We'll put manslaughter on it and we'll be done.

So we use it as an investigative tool when we talk to people. And finally, they got their break... People cannot keep this kind of a secret forever. ...when they played the tape for an ex-girlfriend of Russ's named Judy. They were no longer dating. After hearing Russ's words, Judy was ready to talk. Judy declined an interview with 48 Hours, but she did describe her version of events to detectives in this handwritten testimony. She writes, a couple of months into

the relationship, Russ told me a story. She was told by Russ that Christine came into the bathroom with a gun. He disarmed her and the gun went off or he shot her at that point. That was the first major break. This was another big piece of evidence in the case. Remember the letter Russ was using to prove his wife left him for another man? Although she did write this letter, this letter is very old. Detectives were able to determine Christine wrote the letter years before her disappearance. And we know that because of certain references in the letter as to how long they had been together. Despite these new findings, the cold case unit still didn't have the physical evidence they needed. Do you think that this was premeditated on his part?

Absolutely. evidence they needed. Do you think that this was premeditated on his part? Absolutely. So the first place they looked for that evidence was the last place Russ Smith saw his wife Chris. Remember the remodeled bathroom? This this bathroom was extremely important. We tore the bathroom apart right down to the studs. We found stains in the wood and with a preliminary field test they showed positive that there was blood present. When further tests on the bloodstains were inconclusive, the cold case unit decided to bluff. We put out a news release stating that we had obtained evidence from the crime scene.

In an incredible meeting, detectives talked with Russ's mother, father, and daughter, hoping the family would persuade Russ to confess. Let me suggest this. Russ could help himself if he turns himself in. We want to break down their allegiance to him. Our goal is that we want to find your mother. When police interviewed Candace and Russ's parents, they refused to listen to the tape of Russ's near confession.

There wasn't anybody, and he told you. But then, in late October of 98, detectives met with Russ's dad alone. They interviewed me that night probably for two hours, and they had that tape. And this time, he was willing to listen. I think that's what convinced me. When we come back... How many of you thought that you would actually go down there and get that confession? Raise your hand.

You were the only one. Will the cold case unit get a confession out of Russ Smith? How much longer could Russell Smith hide his deadly secret? More than four years after his wife, quote, disappeared, he was leading a new life and sticking to his story that his wife, Chris, ran off with another man. But the psychological pressure cooker was intensifying. The Cold Case Squad from Kalamazoo, Michigan was stepping up the pursuit,

more than a thousand miles away in Florida. And while they really didn't have a whole lot to go on, no body, hardly any evidence, they did have a hunch that a killer was about to crack. Once again, here's Harold Dow. We didn't have a witness. No witnesses whatsoever. This is Weston. Captain Dan Weston was convinced Russ Smith had killed his 27-year-old wife, Chris, in the fall of 1994. I'm absolutely certain that he had no intention of stepping forward and taking

responsibility. Dan Weston was hot on Russ's trail and he wanted Russ to feel the heat. Yes, we were trying to turn the heat up on him in preparing him for an interrogation. He felt very badly that they were taking his family in and questioning him for hours and grilling him. Did you feel like your whole world was closing in on you? Yeah, I did, just because of the things that my friends and my family were telling me. Then one evening, Russ's father had a change of heart. They interviewed me that night probably for two hours, and they had that tape. The second time that police met with Russ's father, Dick Smith, he agreed to

listen to the secretly recorded conversation between Russ and Randy Dyloth, the original investigator on the case. So you heard the tape. Did you call your son and say, I heard a tape? Yes, I did. And I said, I'm afraid they're going to be coming after you. Two weeks before Christmas, the cold case unit drove to Florida to find Russ. We wanted to obtain a confession. It was a long shot. At the time, they had no arrest warrant, no physical evidence, and Russ Smith was under no obligation to speak with them. How many of you thought that you would actually go down there and get that confession? Raise your hand.

Only Cass. No. You were the only one? Why didn't you think you can get the confession. Raise your hand. Only Captain Smith. No. You were the only one. Why didn't you think you can get the confession? Because of the fact that he was a police officer himself, that he's already covered this crime up so well for over four years. But Captain Dan Weston thought he could outsmart Russ Smith. Our plan was to wait. First, they located Russ at his workplace. When he left to run errands, they tailed him. Our original contact took place with him about 4.30, 8 in the afternoon. Russ stopped at the post office.

Russ obtained mail out of a post office box. He opened it up in the lobby of the post office. Russ's lawyer had sent him a newspaper article. And it features a picture of Russ and a picture of myself, and the headline is something to the effect of that this case won't die. The timing couldn't have been more uncanny. When Russ Smith walked outside, Captain Dan Weston was waiting. He walked up to his car, and standing at the rear bumper of his car is me, and I stick

out my hand to him and introduce myself. And I said, hi, Russ, I'm Dan Weston from Kalamazoo myself and i said hi russ i'm dan weston from kalamazoo and he said yes i know it's a coincidence ironic huh russ agreed to talk with dan weston in his home that was incredible i it was wonderful i thought now i've got i've got the hook set and now it's a it's a matter matter of reeling him in. Finally, after several hours of talking... He started saying that with his head down and his face in his hands... Russ Smith seemed ready to confess to the murder of his wife, Christine. He started saying that it's just too hard to say the words,

and he finally stated that he was responsible for her death. Now, Russ Smith was ready to say how he did it. And I went upstairs just to get ready to go to work. That fateful morning in 1994, Hey, Russ! Russ says his wife, Chris, put their daughter on the school bus and then returned home. Russ says he and Chris started arguing.

Chris then threatened to leave with their daughter, Candace. And I told her that was fine. She was welcome to leave, but she wasn't taking Candace anyways. Then what happened? She turned her back to reach for a towel or something off the towel bar, and I put my hands on her shoulders and i said i love you what's wrong and she turned around and she says i hate you and she spit in my face after that i walked out of the room and i went i retrieved the gun i come back and i shot

her how many times did you shoot her twice where in the head next russ says he put his wife in a storage barrel then i took it back, the barrel with her inside it, and I put it in the back of my truck in the garage. After Candace came home from school, Russ says he drove her to Ohio to stay with his parents. And was your wife in the truck? Yes. In the barrel?

Yes. So you drove all the way to Ohio? Yeah. With the dead body in the back of the truck? Yes. And your daughter sitting in the the way to Ohio? Yeah. With a dead body in the back of the truck? Yes. And your daughter sitting in the front seat with you? Yeah.

After dropping off Candace, Russ drove south for about six hours... Just driving pretty much aimlessly. ...before turning around and heading back home to Kalamazoo. So you've got the problem. You've got this body in the back of your truck. What'd you do? Um, made arrangements to borrow a boat from a friend. Remember the boat the neighbors thought was suspicious? I took the boat and the truck and the barrel to Lake Erie, and then I put the barrel in the boat and it went out about nine miles. And threw the barrel over the side of the boat.

Four years after he murdered his wife, Russ Smith was arrested and driven back to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Russ is a very cold, calculating executioner. And now everyone knows that you murdered your wife. Everyone knows that I'm responsible for her death. Enter the mind of a murderer. How could you kill her? There's uncontrollable rage. When we come back.

I love Christine more than anything. Through all the infidelities and affairs, I've just stolen all of my self-respect, my dignity. How could you kill her? It's uncontrollable rage. Four years after Christine Smith vanished without a trace, Russell Smith has finally confessed to murder. RUSSELL SMITH, And after a brief verbal and physical altercation, I retrieved a gun and I shot her.

Instead of ending his marriage, he ended her life. RUSSELL SMITH, Most people would say divorce. They wouldn't choose murder. I wish I would have done that. I wouldn't be here today talking to you. Did you honestly think that you could get away with this murder? No. You had to.

You put the body in a barrel and you drove to Lake Erie. Went out on a boat nine miles out and you dumped it. What did you think you were doing when you did all that? Gaining some time with Candace. All I could think about is Candace never knowing what I had done. How do you think Candace feels about you today? I mean, she has to know. Candace definitely knows. I've told her myself that I'm responsible for her mother's death. What was her reaction?

Silence. Do you think she hates you for it? No, I do not. I think she's very disappointed in me for it. We don't want to accept it, but we know we have to. It must feel like a bad dream for both of you. Oh, yeah. It would be wonderful if it was a dream. But it's all too real for Russ's parents. No matter what he's done, he's still our son.

Dad? Come on. turn it off. What's the worst part of all of this for you? The heartbreak. The heartbreak? To find out that there is this horrible past, and it's against everything you know and believe. You know, we were building a beautiful future together and it's just been ripped away and now everyone knows that you murdered your wife everyone

knows that I'm responsible for her death you don't want to call it murder no why not I went and I got the gun and I shot her, but it took two people to get that argument to escalate to the point that it did that day. And I was only one of those two people. According to Russ, it wasn't just her alleged affairs that led to his rage. She became very controlling and selfish. Or her lack of respect. She looked at me and she says says I would rather be with a total

stranger than be with you. In the end it was her threat to leave home and take their daughter. And then she was taking the only thing I had left and that was Candace. And now to avoid the ordeal of a trial. Wait a minute. Russell Smith is pleading guilty to second degree murder. And now, to avoid the ordeal of a trial, Russell Smith is pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He will be sentenced in just two days. Candace has been through enough. She needs to be able to go on with her life. Did you go out the channel and then turn?

No, I cut across the... As part of his plea bargain... We're going to go out and her life. Did you go out the channel and then turn? No, I cut across the... As part of his plea bargain... We're going to go out and mark the spot. Russ has agreed to help the cold case unit find his wife's body. You all set? Yep, I think so. So friends and family will find some peace.

So that they can conduct an appropriate, proper burial. All clear, sir. All right, well, let's get it going. And you're telling us the body is there in Lake Erie, nine miles out? That's correct. Yeah, we're in 20 feet of water here. Yep. Officers mark the spot where Russ says he sank the 55-gallon barrel containing his wife's body.

Investigators in a second boat scan the bottom of Lake Erie with sophisticated sonar equipment. They search for 10 hours. But nothing is found. Put our head in. But nothing is found. Get him secured again. We'll put him back in the van. After a brief taste of freedom, Russ is heading back to a jail cell where he could spend the rest of his life.

Are you ready to face the consequences? Yes. For Russ and his family, it's judgment day. We're here for him. We'll always be here for him and love him forever. Bring him down. All rise. Court is now in session. To this court, to take someone's life is the most serious of crimes. Russ has written a letter to the judge, hoping his side of the story will be heard.

I hope and pray that you will take into consideration all the events that led to this accident happening. He also shared his letter with us. Although all the infidelities and affairs and mental abuse are in no way an excuse for what happened, I was mentally and emotionally pushed to limits that no one should have to endure. I'm not a violent person, never have been, and never will be. Most of all to Candace, I can never give back to you what I have taken away. I never stopped loving your mother, not for a minute, not through all of her infidelities and affairs with other men, not ever.

To this day, he despises his victim. Christine's cousin came to court to read a letter from their family. Russell is a cold and calculated killer. The letter presents a shocking theory about why Christine threatened to leave with Candace and Russ's motive for murder. What could bring a wife to spit and talk her husband? Russell does not tell us.

Could it be that Chris haunted Russell because she was learned of his improper behavior with his daughter and was willing to leave? Remember, Child Protective Services had placed Candace in foster care after detectives found evidence that she was sleeping in her father's bed. I do not believe that Russell feels remorse.

I therefore ask that you serve the maximum sentence permissible. Captain Dan Weston also doesn't buy Russell's remorse or his stories about Christine's sexual affairs. Did you have any evidence whatsoever that his wife was running around with other people? None whatsoever. We have never, as a team of six, come up with anything that would support that. Russ executed his wife.

You refer in this letter, and you refer today, even today, to the accident. Russ Smith is about to face justice when 48 Hours continues. To this court, I hope and pray that you will take into consideration all the events that led to this accident happening. Russ Smith is about to be sentenced for murder, almost five years after killing his wife, Christine. I'm sorry. He's had his say. Now it's Judge William Schmay's turn. And you referred today, even today, in court, to the accident. The fact that you committed this very violent, deliberate, premeditated act and now are prepared as your final testament on this.

Your final statement to blame the victim. You suggest to me that you are a dangerous assignment. The victim no more drove you to murder here than I'm putting you in prison. You're putting yourself in prison. Therefore, the sentence of the court is you be committed to the Department of Corrections for 35 to 70 years with credit for 85 days served as of today's date.

35 to 70 years. We'll take a brief recess. His first chance for parole will be in 28 years. And I know that Nick and I won't be alive in 20 years. It's over, buddy. It's over. And to think about his daughter, Vionere, listening to this, our hearts go out to her. Neighbors Tim and Debbie Ors, who fought so hard to bring Russ to justice,

hope Candace can now find some peace. And life filled with lots of love, something that her mom would want to give her. Whoa, look at that. Look at the size of these rocks over here. We visited Candice five months after her dad went to prison. Let's go over to the playground. It's tough, It's all good. But we'll make it. But will Candace make it?

I think she's in total denial because she just don't want to talk about it. And I'd ask her, I said, are you angry at your daddy? No. I said, are you mad? No. Do you hate him? No.

I said, well, what do you feel? I love him, my daddy. So she's pretty much keeping a lot inside. Oh, yes. Oh, yes, yes. And the psychologist has told us that. She's in a bubble. And someday, that bubble's going to break. But the real impact, it will hit her one day. It's got to. But what he did has to be on Russ's shoulders. It was wrong. It was wrong.

Definitely wrong, yes. Yes, it definitely is wrong. Police have given up looking for Christine's body. So the only headstone to mark her grave is an anchored buoy. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey.