John Smith, convicted in 2001 for killing his first wife and suspected in the disappearance of his second, had charges dropped in 2019 in exchange for information about her death which former FBI agent Robert Hilland believes to be false. Smith, 73, had been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his first wife, Janice Elaine Hartman, days after their divorce in 1974. He was later indicted in the disappearance of his second wife, Fran Smith, who was last seen alive in 1991. Fran’s sister expressed disappointment in the prosecutors’ decision to drop charges against Smith based on the information provided.
Smith had kept Hartman’s body, dismembered, decaying, and stored in a box in his parents’ garage before ultimately burying her in a “Jane Doe grave.” Despite Smith providing details about what he did with Fran’s body, prosecutors acknowledged that recovering it after so many years would be impossible. Smith did not admit to the murder but agreed to reveal information about Fran’s body in exchange for a non-prosecution agreement. Investigators had long suspected Smith’s involvement in his wives’ disappearances but lacked evidence to convict him, until a conversation with Diane Beasly, Smith’s girlfriend.
Beasly cooperated with the investigation against Smith after learning about his previous marriages and the disappearances of his wives. In a recorded call, Beasly confronted Smith about his relationship with Fran and his involvement in her disappearance. Smith admitted to lying during a polygraph test regarding his knowledge about Hartman’s disappearance. However, when directly confronted by investigators about this conversation, Smith denied making certain comments. His brother later confessed to removing Fran’s legs and placing her body in a box, which the family kept secret for decades before sharing with authorities.
Despite efforts to locate Fran’s body at various locations associated with Smith, such as his workplace and beach home, her remains were never found. In 2022, a judge ruled that evidence regarding the murder of Smith’s first wife could not be presented in court for the trial related to Fran’s disappearance. Prosecutors made an agreement with Smith in hopes of providing closure to Fran’s family, where he claimed to have left her body in a dumpster at his former workplace. However, Hilland believes it is unlikely that Fran’s body was left at that location due to heavy foot traffic and the high likelihood of discovery. Smith may have a chance of release on parole in 2029 due to his cooperation with prosecutors.
