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Allentown, Pennsylvania for a
Parents without Partners weekend gathering. Her neighbors confirmed for police this was the last time they saw Reinert and her children alive. Three days later, an anonymous caller informed police that Reinert's car was parked at a motel in Harrisburg. When police arrived, they found Reinert's body in the trunk of her car, but there was no sign of the children. Although a pathologist had determined that Reinert had been suffocated, police investigators subsequently determined that she had been beaten and drugged prior to her murder, and that it was the large amount of morphine that had been injected into her system that actually caused her death. The police also determined that on "the day that Ms. Reinert's body was found, Smith was in Harrisburg, a few miles from the death scene, where he was to be sentenced on firearms and disorderly conduct charges. He arrived in court nearly an hour late, explaining he had been stuck in a gas station line." According to police, Smith had "reportedly made advances to Susan Reinert during one period and was rejected." Police also told the media that, during the course of their investigation, they had found "a blue comb with the inscription, '79th Army Reserve Command'", in the car next to Reinert's body, and had since learned that Smith had been a colonel in that same army unit; however, although the police were investigating Smith, the grand jury that was analyzing the police reports of the Reinert case investigation were offered "no evidence linking Smith to the murder." The grand jury's presentment did indicate, though, that "there was an association of two or more people and a continuing conspiracy between/among them to murder Susan Reinert."
255:
Reinert murder investigation, prompting police to look more closely at Smith's background and recent activities, according to testimony that police later gave the grand jury, and to also investigate the potential disappearance of Smith's 24-year-old daughter and his 30-year-old son-in-law, Stephanie and Edward
Hunsberger. The young couple were long-time heroin addicts; Stephanie had resorted to prostitution, and Edward had been convicted of armed robbery, in support of their addiction. Last seen in August 1979, Smith claimed the couple had relocated to California, to avoid local drug dealers they owed money to, though some of their belongings were still present in Smith's home, which they had moved to in September 1977.
202:
allegedly arrived late to his subsequent sentencing hearing in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, four hours after Reinert's body was discovered in the trunk of her car, which had been parked at a Harrisburg motel parking lot that was located roughly one hundred miles away from her home in Ardmore. Police were initially unable to find an explanation for why she had left home two days before her body was found or why her body and car had ended up in Harrisburg. They were also initially unable to locate her children, whom they subsequently classified as "missing." A pathologist subsequently determined that Reinert had been suffocated.
283:"In 1992, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Mr. Smith's conviction on the grounds that the judge had erred by allowing hearsay evidence from Mr. Bradfield's friends. The high court also found fault with the prosecution for withholding evidence of sand found on Ms. Reinert during the autopsy on her body, sand that could have come from the beach that Mr. Bradfield and his friends claim to have visited. The prior procedure after such rulings was to have another trial. But because of what the Supreme Court deemed outrageous behavior by prosecutors, the justices said another trial would amount to placing Mr. Smith in
222:
subsequently charged with "masterminding" Reinert's murder and "with kidnapping and killing her children." Placed in jail at the
Delaware County Prison, following his conviction for fraud, Bradfield reportedly told a fellow inmate "that the whole plan of the crime ... was only to involve 'Susan,' but that something had gone wrong," and said "it was a shame the children had to suffer by mistake." He also reportedly said "that when 'they' were killed, he had been present."
138:(Reserves) and was subsequently appointed as unit commander of the 183rd U.S. Army Terminal Station "based on both his qualifications and his demonstrated ability to command," and was described by his superiors as someone who was "unusually dedicated to the Reserve Program with a demonstrated level of high ability and ingenuity in both military and civilian accomplishments." During the aftermath of 1972's
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then killed sometime between midnight on
Saturday, June 23 and midnight on Sunday, June 24. Bradfield and the other teachers reportedly arrived at 5 a.m. Saturday in Cape May, where they remained until the afternoon of Monday, June 25; Bradfield's whereabouts during the time of Reinert's disappearance, however, were unclear. Smith's whereabouts during this same time were also unclear.
205:
As the police investigation continued, police were told that
Bradfield was visiting Cape May with three other teachers from Upper Merion during the weekend that Reinert was murdered. Reinert had reportedly either left or been taken from her Ardmore home before 9 p.m. on Friday, June 22, 1979 and was
254:
After Smith's 1978 arrest, Bradfield told friends he was assisting Smith with his defense. Smith, however, pleaded no contest to the
Tredyffrin charges and was convicted on other criminal counts. Bradfield's claims of assisting with Smith's defense, though, proved to be another pivotal point in the
217:
By 1983, police had uncovered more details about the murder case. Reinert, who had been volunteering during her non-teaching hours as the director of
Parents without Partners, had voluntarily left her Ardmore home with her children on Friday evening, June 22, 1979, shortly after 9 p.m., to drive to
318:
to be closer to his younger daughter, Char. Widowed by his first wife, Stephanie (Zdun) Smith, who had succumbed to complications from cancer in August, 1979, he remarried in 2002. He and his second wife, Maureen, became resident administrators of an adult-care facility and subsequently lived in a
201:
Smith was subsequently convicted of a series of store robberies during the late 1970s, despite
Bradfield testifying on his behalf that the robberies must have been perpetrated by someone else because he and Smith had been vacationing far away in Ocean City when the robberies were committed. Smith
189:
Smith was the principal of Upper Merion Area High School when
Reinert and her colleague, William Bradfield, were teachers there during the early to late 1970s. Reinert taught English. She and Bradfield reportedly had planned to be married; approximately one month prior to her 1979 murder, Reinert
221:
During those grand jury proceedings, it was revealed that several former teaching colleagues and former students of Bradfield "had testified to the grand jury that Bradfield, for months before Ms. Reinert's death, had kept telling them that she would be killed by Jay Smith." Bradfield was
243:
Following the arrest, Smith's life went rapidly downhill. First, he was charged with drug possession, stemming from the discovery of three pounds of marijuana in his home. Security guard uniforms also recovered from his home were used to link Smith to the August 1977 theft of $ 53,000
261:
Three years later, Smith was also tried for the murders of Reinert and her children. During his trial, it was revealed that a green pin that Reinert's daughter, Karen, had been wearing on the day she disappeared "was found under the front passenger seat of Smith's car."
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million in 2023) from her and telling her he would invest it in a "high-yielding certificate." During the coverage of his trial, newspapers reported that Reinert's children were still missing, but now "presumed dead." He was subsequently found guilty of fraud.
231:
described Smith as "an integral piece of the puzzle surrounding Reinert's murder," noting: "In part, the suspicion surrounding Smith can be traced to his own problems with the law, which began Aug. 19, 1978, almost a year before Reinert's death."
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When police stopped Smith and searched his car, they found four handguns, including one fitted with a homemade silencer. In a pocket of Smith's suit coat, police found a syringe loaded with a prescription sedative.
335:
on May 12, 2009. He reportedly maintained that he was innocent of the Reinert murders until the end of his life, and was buried with full military honors at the Chapel Lawn Burial Park in Dallas, Pennsylvania.
236:"Smith, Upper Merion high school principal for 12 years, was arrested leaving the Gateway Shopping Center in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, after he was seen wearing a hood and brandishing two pistols.
106:
who was convicted and sentenced to death in 1986 for the 1979 murder of one of his school's teachers, Susan Reinert, and her two children, Karen and Michael. His conviction was overturned by the
287:. Before the Smith ruling, double jeopardy, which prevents a new prosecution, was found to exist only when defendants were acquitted or when prosecutors had deliberately provoked a mistrial."
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Tried in 1983 for the Reinert murders, Bradfield was convicted of conspiracy to commit the murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and died in prison in January 1998.
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While still a serving officer with the Reserves, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in education and English in 1972. He earned a Master of Science degree at
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declared Bradfield to be the sole beneficiary of a life insurance policy that was valued at roughly $ 500,000 (equivalent to $ 2.1
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Smith's daughter, Stephanie Hunsberger, and her husband have never been found. The couple was reported missing in 1978.
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146:"for exceptionally meritorious service," and was a second-time recipient of the Army Commendation Medal in 1974.
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as a private in 1946 and rose up through the ranks to become a senior-level officer. In 1962, he was awarded the
295:, "accusing them of colluding to convict him falsely, but lost all of them, the last one in 2000", according to
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Convicted in 1986 of the murders of Susan, Karen and Michael Reinert, Smith spent six years on Pennsylvania's
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In 1981, Bradfield was tried for allegedly defrauding Reinert by taking $ 25,000 (equivalent to $ 0.1
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Smith died from a heart condition while receiving treatment in the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in
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Smith subsequently filed multiple lawsuits against the Pennsylvania State Police and against
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million in 2023). He was also the sole beneficiary of her $ 230,000 estate (equivalent to $ 1
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in 1992 due to judicial and prosecutorial misconduct. According to Smith's obituary in
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The murder case was featured in the pilot episode of the documentary TV series
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In April 1983, as it was preparing to cover Bradfield's trial for murder, the
102:(June 5, 1928 – May 12, 2009) was an American high school principal in
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642:"A Whodunnit Still Unraveled: Teacher's Murder Tangled in a Web of Mystery"
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from a Sears store in St. David's ... and the attempted theft of $ 158,000
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in 1992, based on findings of judicial and prosecutorial misconduct.
753:"The Susan Reinert Case: "Key? Jay Smith's Name Keeps Surfacing""
575:
400:"Jay C. Smith, Convict Later Freed in Murder Case, Dies at 80"
1007:
Madison Street Methodist Church (Chester, PA) Baptism Records
177:, Smith was appointed by the board as the principal of
157:, in 1974. He retired from military service, as a full
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Following his release from prison, Smith relocated to
153:, then completed his Doctor of Education degree at
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93:Overturned conviction, Susan Reinert murder case
1047:People from Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania
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782:
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118:Born on June 5, 1928, Smith grew up during the
16:American with overturned conviction (1928–2009)
915:"Former Upper Merion Principal Jay Smith Dies"
680:"The Reinert Mystery: The Anatomy of a Murder"
571:"Main Line murder case echoes 30 years later"
8:
1052:Prisoners sentenced to death by Pennsylvania
348:in the two-part, made-for-television movie,
1042:Overturned convictions in the United States
882:"Smith told his wife to dispose of key rug"
848:"Stephanie Smith, wife of former principal"
840:
838:
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269:until his conviction was overturned by the
250:from Sears store in the Neshaminy Mall...."
356:. It aired on CBS in early November 1987.
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352:, which was based on Joseph Wambaugh's
444:"Dr. Jay Charles Smith | May 13, 2009"
1032:American prisoners sentenced to death
7:
362:Death By Gossip with Wendy Williams
165:Academic career and legal problems
14:
1037:Murder convictions without a body
879:Lounsberry, Emilie (1986-04-22).
319:community for senior citizens in
171:Upper Merion Area School District
169:Hired by the school board of the
951:"A Voyage to the Depths of Evil"
750:Hepp, Christopher (1983-04-07).
655:. 1983-07-24. pp. A-6, A-13
927:from the original on 2009-05-19
714:"For the Family, Grief Goes On"
583:from the original on 2023-08-26
413:from the original on 2018-04-29
397:Martin, Douglas (2009-05-15).
1:
344:Smith was portrayed by actor
179:Upper Merion Area High School
175:King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
151:Pennsylvania State University
108:Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
84:Upper Merion Area High School
817:Good, Meaghan (2016-11-10).
789:Good, Meaghan (2016-11-10).
711:Moran, Edward (1983-04-07).
314:, where he settled near the
312:Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
677:Goldwyn, Ron (1983-04-07).
601:Porter, Jill (1981-08-03).
569:O'Neill, Ann (2009-06-30).
185:History of the Reinert case
136:United States Army Reserves
1073:
1057:American school principals
845:Loyd, Linda (1979-08-10).
333:Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
271:Pennsylvania Supreme Court
130:. Later commissioned as a
79:United States Army Reserve
61:Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
888:The Philadelphia Inquirer
854:The Philadelphia Inquirer
453:. 2009-06-04. p. T32
913:Loeb, Pat (2009-05-13).
819:"Edward Hale Hunsberger"
604:"Extraneous Information"
519:"Letter from the Editor"
486:. 1983-10-11. p. 28
134:, he transferred to the
759:Philadelphia Daily News
720:Philadelphia Daily News
686:Philadelphia Daily News
610:Philadelphia Daily News
525:Philadelphia Daily News
483:Philadelphia Daily News
368:Investigation Discovery
228:Philadelphia Daily News
128:Army Commendation Medal
122:. He enlisted with the
998:Echoes in the Darkness
992:Loretta Schwartz-Nobel
984:by William Costopoulos
791:"Stephanie Hunsberger"
477:"A Cast of Characters"
350:Echoes in the Darkness
289:
252:
144:Navy Unit Commendation
920:KYW-AM 1060 Newsradio
354:book by the same name
281:
234:
957:The Washington Post
823:The Charley Project
795:The Charley Project
450:The Citizens' Voice
406:The New York Times
340:In popular culture
297:The New York Times
276:The New York Times
198:million in 2023).
132:lieutenant colonel
124:United States Army
74:United States Army
988:Engaged to Murder
982:Principal Suspect
365:, which aired on
316:Borough of Dallas
155:Temple University
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285:double jeopardy
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114:Formative years
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948:(1987-11-01).
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866:Newspapers.com
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732:Newspapers.com
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537:Newspapers.com
516:(1979-09-10).
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57:(aged 80)
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23:Jay. C. Smith
20:
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987:
981:
961:. Retrieved
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929:. Retrieved
918:
908:
898:– via
893:. Retrieved
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864:– via
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769:– via
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535:– via
530:. Retrieved
528:. p. 18
523:
514:Spencer, Gil
493:– via
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100:Jay C. Smith
99:
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55:(2009-05-12)
53:May 12, 2009
39:June 5, 1928
1027:2009 deaths
1022:1928 births
946:Shales, Tom
613:. p. 2
161:, in 1976.
82:Principal,
1016:Categories
963:2023-08-26
931:2023-08-26
895:2023-08-27
861:2023-08-27
828:2023-09-18
800:2023-08-26
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693:2023-08-26
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617:2023-08-26
587:2023-08-26
532:2023-08-25
490:2023-08-26
457:2023-08-27
417:2009-05-16
375:References
306:Later life
35:1928-06-05
267:death row
77:Colonel,
72:Officer,
925:Archived
581:Archived
411:Archived
159:colonel
211:
196:
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327:Death
50:Died
29:Born
1001:by
990:by
576:CNN
279::
173:in
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