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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2016)
August 26, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 3A Guilty plea in Cannon Beach child murder case Smith faces life in prison, but avoids death penalty By Kyle Spurr EO Media Group Jessica Smith will face life in prison after she pleaded guilty Wednesday, Aug. 13, to drown- ing her toddler daughter and slashing her teenager in a Can- non Beach resort in July 2014. Smith, 42, of Vancouver, Washington, entered Alford pleas to aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder following two days of settlement talks in Circuit Court. An Alford plea is a guilty plea from a defendant who proclaims their inno- cence, but admits the prose- cution has enough evidence to prove they are guilty. Smith remained seated in court, kept her head down and spoke quietly as she answered for her crimes. In a written plea petition, she accepted the evidence against her, “wish- ing to avoid additional stress and harm” to her surviving daughter, Alana Smith, her family and herself. Last week, Judge Cindee Matyas allowed a video con- fession to be played at trial. The video was seen as a inal blow to Smith’s defense. In the recording, Smith ad- mits to drowning her 2-year- old daughter, Isabella Smith. “The intention was to drown DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP Jessica Smith pleaded guilty Wednesday, Aug. 13, in Clatsop County Circuit Court to aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder of her children. her and end her misery,” she said. Smith, who could have faced the death penalty, will serve a minimum of 40 years in prison, according to the plea agreement. A sentencing hearing is scheduled in Cir- cuit Court next week. Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis said avoiding trial will spare Smith’s family, especially her surviving daughter. Alana Smith and Smith’s ex-husband, Gregory Smith, are invited to speak at the sentencing hearing. The morning after Smith murdered Isabella and wounded Alana, she aban- doned the hotel room. House- keeping staff could hear Ala- na Smith slipping and falling, and called 911 to report a dis- oriented female. Cannon Beach Police Chief Jason Schermerhorn and Cannon Beach Assistant Fire Chief Frank Sweden- borg were the irst to respond. They saw the two girls laying on the bed. Isabella appeared lifeless and posed, and Alana had been bleeding profusely from cuts on her neck and wrists. After a three-day search, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew spotted Smith near her gold 2007 Chevy Suburban on a heavily forested logging road about 15 miles east of Cannon Beach. A Clatsop County Sheriff’s Ofice detective and FBI spe- cial agent drove an SUV down forest roads to arrest Smith. Alana Smith, now 15, told investigators her mother helped her cut her own throat and drowned her sister be- cause they did not want to live with her father. Alana is now living with family in Wash- ington state. Jessica and Gregory Smith separated in April 2014. The girls’ father sought a custo- dy evaluation less than two weeks before the murder. Smith was supposed to return the children to her ex-husband the day they were discovered in the hotel room. In the video interview taken at the Seaside Police Department the day she was arrested, Smith said she and Alana were terriied of her ex-husband. Instead of bring- ing the children back, Smith made speciic plans to drug her daughters and used razor blades to cut Alana’s throat and wrists. Smith’s defense lawyer William Falls and Lynne Morgan, who previously de- scribed her as having a mental breakdown, said Wednesday they were conident in her physical and mental health. “We believe she is compe- tent, and that she understands what she is doing at this point,” Falls said. Judge Matyas determined in June that Smith was men- tally competent had the case gone to trial. CANNON BEACH POLICE LOG There were multiple instances of camping within city limits and property lost or found. Aug. 7 12:20 a.m., Hemlock and Chena Street: Driving under the inluence of intoxication: Male subject arrested for DUII. After further investigation, the subject provided two breath samples that determined his BAC at 0.16 percent. He was booked, cited and released to a sober fam- ily member. 12:48 a.m., 500 Block South Hem- lock: Assisted Fire Department with medical call. Female having chest pains. 4:40 p.m., 100 Block N Hemlock: Shoplift of clothing from store. 9:04 p.m., Hemlock/Forest Lawn: Unknown subject had placed a third sign on the street sign. Violation of city code. Aug. 9 3:15 p.m., 100 Block East Gower: 7-year-old became separated from family. Contact was made with the father who came to the Police De- partment and was reunited with son. phone, when he returned, to see about clearing the trespass. 3:32 p.m., Semaphore 5/Beach: As- sisted Cannon Beach Lifeguards and Cannon Beach Fire Department with water rescue. 7:11 a.m., 3400 Block South Hem- lock: Oicer received a report of stolen American, state of Oregon and Canada lags. 4:36 p.m., 100 Block East Washing- ton Street: Subjects contacted for suspicious behavior. Verbally tres- passed from Community Church property. Subjects advised that they could contact the pastor, via Aug. 11 11:01 p.m., East Second Street: Courtesy ride given to intoxicat- ed male from the Sewer Ponds to Tolovana Inn. Aug. 12 10:35 p.m., Highway 101 Milepost 26: Traic stop. Subject arrested for criminal driving with a suspended license. Aug. 13 5:21 p.m., Beach/Larch: Complaint of unwanted subjects wandering the hotel property and sleeping on the beach. Oicers arrived. Subjects were trespassed from the hotel property and warned for sleeping on the beach. 6:23 p.m., Shannon Lane/Arch Cape: Assist with missing child. and janitorial supplies! Packing Materials The annual and regular board meeting of the North- west Oregon Housing Author- ity will be held Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. at the NOHA ofice, 147 S. Main Ave., Warrenton. For agenda items, call NOHA at 503-861-0119, ext. 112. Making Sweet Memories for Over 50 Years M ore than just paints, stains Pool, Spa & Fountain Housing Authority will hold its annual meeting Freshest Homemade: Saltwater Taffy S T as I id O e O N Chocolates CA LO utlet Mall W n C O T ow Se & h ac n Be no an Caramel Corn Downt Caramel Apples THE ONLY E D A & MORE!! TAFFY M N IN CANNO Wedding Treats & BEACH! Gift Baskets Available! WE CAN SHIP CANDY DIRECTLY TO YOU! 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