John Smith, a convicted murderer, was recently indicted on charges of murdering his second wife, Fran Smith. Despite providing details about her death as part of an agreement with prosecutors, former FBI agent Robert Hilland believes Smith’s claims are likely untrue. Smith was initially sentenced to life in prison in 2001 for killing his first wife, Janice Elaine Hartman, days after they divorced in 1974. The decision to drop charges against Smith in exchange for information on Fran’s body disposal was criticized by Hilland as a “failure.”
Fran’s sister, Sherrie Davis, expressed disappointment in the prosecutors’ choice to accept Smith’s agreement, stating that his claims did not provide closure for their family. Hartman’s body was left decaying and dismembered in a wooden box in Smith’s parent’s garage for decades before being buried in an unmarked grave. Prosecutors acknowledged that recovering Fran’s body would be impossible due to the time that had passed since her disappearance in September 1991.
Investigators had long suspected Smith’s involvement in the disappearances of his wives, but lacked concrete evidence to convict him until a conversation between Smith and his girlfriend Diane Beasly was recorded. In the call, Smith admitted to lying about Fran’s disappearance and failing a polygraph test. Despite initially denying his statements during an interview with Hilland, Smith eventually admitted to his girlfriend that he knew about Hartman’s disappearance and failed to cooperate with authorities.
The case took a surprising turn when Smith’s brother confessed to authorities that he had removed Fran’s legs and placed her body in a wooden box that was later found by their grandfather. The family chose not to contact law enforcement at the time, allowing Smith to dispose of the box with Fran’s remains. Despite exhaustive efforts to locate Fran’s body, including excavations and undercover informants, her remains were never found.
Despite a lack of new evidence, prosecutors believed they had sufficient evidence to charge Smith in Fran’s death, leading to a failed attempt to introduce evidence regarding Hartman’s murder. In an effort to provide closure to Fran’s family, prosecutors allowed Smith to provide an undisclosed statement about her body’s disposal. Although Smith claimed he left Fran’s body in a dumpster at his former workplace in New Jersey, Hilland believes this scenario to be unlikely due to heavy foot traffic in the area.
As of 2022, a judge ruled that evidence regarding Hartman’s murder could not be presented in court, as it did not prove Smith’s guilt in Fran’s disappearance. Prosecutors hoped that Smith’s cooperation would increase his chances of parole in 2029, despite not making a full confession or providing corroborating evidence. The case remains unresolved, with Fran’s body never being located, leaving her family without closure.
