Deepra SarkarInvestigation Discovery’s ‘Atlanta Justice’ brings the 2010 murder of Demetra Smith to the screen. In the episode titled ‘Ring of Truth,’ the audience is brought face-to-face with a murderer who created a weave of lies to escape justice. Orlando Smith, Demetra’s husband, was eventually arrested and sentenced accordingly for his crimes. If you are curious to know what happened to Smith, we have you covered.
Who Is Orlando Smith?
Orlando Smith married Demetra Smith in the early months of 2010. The marriage had a tumultuous history comprising verbal and physical assaults. Orlando also had been on the wrong side of the law on previous occasions. His criminal records from the Georgia Department of Corrections show a history of convictions for shoplifting, burglary, forgery, and possession of firearms. Given this upsetting trend, it came as no surprise when he was convicted his murdering his wife.
On May 24, 2010, he and his wife were last seen together at their shared apartment at 1991 Delowe Drive, Georgia. Thereafter, law enforcement responded to a home security alarm in the early morning hours of May 25, 2010. This alarm was from the Smiths’ apartment. On their arrival, the police saw no signs of forced entry, so they left. At that time, Orlando was not home as he admitted that he had gone to his daughter’s house.
He returned to the apartment, later that morning, with his daughter to his wife’s dead body. Law enforcement was once again dispatched to the location they had been summoned to a few hours earlier. They found Demetra Smith lying face down in her bed with a fatal gunshot wound at the back of her head. The preliminary investigation of the apartment led law enforcement to discover two bloody wedding rings and a wash rag, which also seemed to be covered with blood.
When interrogated, Orlando told the police that he had been with his daughter since the evening of May 24. This was initially affirmed by his teenage daughter. However, she changed her statements and told the officers she had been lying, just as instructed by her father. Her statements thereafter revealed that Orlando had turned up at the girl’s house in the very early hours of the morning on May 25, 2010. He had then taken a shower, changed his clothes, and then urged his daughter to tell anyone who asked that he had been with her since the evening.
According to the daughter’s statements, Smith also had her throw a bag of clothes out of the car while the father-daughter duo was driving back to the Smiths’ residence. The police were led to the bag by the teen, in which they discovered clothes that Smith’s daughter admitted Smith had been wearing when he came to her house. The clothes were tested, and the reports indicated the presence of gunpowder and Demetra’s DNA. Evidence linked Smith to his wife’s murder, and he was arrested and charged with Demetra’s death.
Where Is Orlando Smith Now?
Orlando Smith was convicted of his wife’s murder in October 2011, and the charges included two counts of felony murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. During his trial, the State prosecution brought forth numerous witnesses who narrated various incidents that reflected the volatile nature of the relationship shared between Orlando and his wife, Demetra. Some witnesses also testified that Demetra had expressed her intentions of leaving her husband just the day before she was murdered.
Other evidence presented against Smith during his trial included photographs of Orlando taken six months before Demetra’s death. The photos depicted Orlando holding a pistol, which matched the description of his wife’s gun. At the end of the trial, the jury concluded that there was sufficient evidence to hold Orlando Smith accountable for his wife’s death. In October 2011, Orlando Smith was sentenced to life in prison for the execution-style murder of his wife. He was also given five consecutive years for both weapons charges, but the latter half of his sentence was later amended. He is currently incarcerated at the Georgia State Prison.
Read More: Demetra Smith Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
