Local Woman Charged With Murder in Shooting Death of Husband

Image: Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office

A Spotsylvania woman has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband Monday evening, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.

Laurence Marie-Flora Smith, 37 (in photo), is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Stafford County. She also has been charged with use of a firearm in commission of a felony, the sheriff’s office said.

Spotsylvania police detectives arrested her after questioning Smith about the killing of her husband, Sean Smith, 44, on Monday in their home at 6006 Harrison Road.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the house at about 5:45 p.m. after a 911 emergency dispatcher received a call from Smith, who said she had just accidentally shot her husband.

Upon arrival, deputies found the victim laying on the floor in the home, dead from a single gunshot, the sheriff;s office said.

The couple’s three young children, who authorities said were home at the time of the shooting, are now staying with relatives, according to a report from WWBT-NBC Channel 12, a Richmond TV station.

Local authorities said they recovered a high-caliber handgun from the home and sent it to a lab for testing, WWBT reported. The Medical Examiner’s office in Richmond will perform an autopsy on the victim.

Smith was taken to the sheriff’s office for an interview regarding the incident and the facts surrounding the shooting. Spotsylvania detectives also conducted a forensic crime scene investigation at the residence.

Based on statements made by Smith, along with several interviews and forensic evidence recovered at the scene, the detectives presented the evidence to the local commonwealth attorney’s office, the sheriff’s office said. Smith was subsequently arrested and charged.