Oprah On Homicide By Panhandler: 'This Story Struck My Heart'

BALTIMORE, MD — A recent homicide in Baltimore has touched the hearts of many people, including Oprah Winfrey. The celebrity tweeted that she will think twice after Jacquelyn Smith was stabbed to death Saturday once she rolled down her window to give money to a panhandler.

"This story struck my heart," Winfrey wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, Dec. 4, responding to a story on CNN detailing the death of Smith.

Smith, 54, lived in Aberdeen and was in Baltimore with her husband after a family event when she saw a panhandler holding what looked like a baby and a sign that said: "Please help me feed my baby."

After she rolled down her window, police said a man approached the vehicle appearing to thank Smith and instead reached inside and tried to grab her wallet. They struggled, and the man stabbed Smith in the torso with a knife, police allege. She later died at the hospital.

"I’ve done this a 1k times," Winfrey tweeted. "But will think twice before ever doing again. To J.S. family I hope her death gets people 'woke' to change!"

This story struck my heart. I’ve done this a 1k times. But will think twice before ever doing again. To J.S. family I hope her death gets people “woke” to change! https://t.co/ZbFqkLsdF9
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) December 4, 2018

Winfrey used to live and work in the Baltimore area as a morning anchor for WJZ, before hosting its "People are Talking" program then moving to Chicago in 1984 to host a morning show there.

She went on to launch "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which drew millions of viewers from 1986 to 2011.

Over the course of her career, Winfrey has donated approximately $425 million to charities, according to the Forbes list of philanthropists.

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• Harford Woman Killed Giving Money To Woman With 'Baby'
• Aberdeen Woman Fatally Stabbed Was Engineer At APG: Report

Photo of Jacquelyn Smith courtesy of the Baltimore Police Department.