Gearhead Alexander Smith drove himself straight to the slammer in Arizona by fatally shooting a married couple selling a souped-up Ford Mustang after his deal to buy the ride fell through, lawmen say.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Smith, 21, recently pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and burglary, earning himself two consecutive natural life sentences plus another 21 years for killing Walter Mitchell, 52, and Susie Ephrem, 42, in a terrifying 2023 home invasion.
Walter and Susie’s 8-year-old grandson was staying with them at the time, but wasn’t harmed during the bloody crime, officials say.
Smith met the victims by offering to purchase Mitchell’s Shelby GT500, a high-performance version of the classic muscle car. But authorities say the seller nixed their agreement after Smith’s wire transfer failed to go through — and promptly sold the vehicle to a local car dealership for a trade-in.
Prosecutors charge that the hothead broke into the couple’s home the very next day — and exacted his revenge with a gun.
Police say they were investigating the grisly double homicide the following morning, when Smith allegedly showed up at Walter and Susie’s place to claim the car, stating that he worked for a collector who’d purchased it.
Officials explain the bold bad guy even showed up at a Peoria police station two weeks later to inquire about the vehicle — and raised suspicions when his story didn’t match up with his previous tall tale.
Detectives found messages between the men regarding the car — and say GPS data put Smith near the grandparents’ residence at the time of the shooting and that his fingerprints were found on a door handle at the couple’s home.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell remarks, “This was an act driven by greed; even after taking two lives this defendant continued to lie to police to try to get the car … His story unraveled, and he will spend the rest of his life facing the consequences of his choices.”
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