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:
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Chocolates
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utlet Mall
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Caramel Corn
Downt
Caramel Apples
THE ONLY
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& MORE!!
TAFFY M N
IN CANNO
Wedding Treats &
BEACH! Gift Baskets Available!
WE CAN SHIP CANDY
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Grill Cleaners,
Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners
and MORE!
www.brucescandy.com • 503-436-2641 • 503-738-7828
OF PLACES YOU CAN PICK UP A
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