A 21-year-old Arizona man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after fatally shooting a couple over a botched car sale — and then trying to lie his way into still getting the vehicle.
Alexander Lee Smith was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences last week for the brutal 2023 murders of Walter Mitchell and Susie Ephrem, a couple he had met while trying to purchase their Ford Shelby GT500 — a high-performance Mustang worth tens of thousands.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Smith forced his way into the couple’s home the day after the deal fell apart and opened fire. Ephrem managed to call 911, but later died at the hospital. Mitchell was pronounced dead at the scene. Their 8-year-old grandson was inside the home at the time of the shooting but was unharmed.
Prosecutors say the murder was sparked by greed. Smith had attempted to buy Mitchell’s car, but the wire transfer he sent failed. Mitchell ended up selling the vehicle to a dealership that night — and the next day, Smith allegedly came back for revenge.
The case took an even stranger turn when Smith showed up at the crime scene while police were still investigating. He claimed he worked for a car collector who had bought the car from Mitchell. Officers turned him away, but he returned two weeks later, asking more questions at the Peoria police station.
That’s when detectives started to connect the dots. GPS data placed Smith near the scene at the time of the murders, and his fingerprints were found on the couple’s front door handle. He was arrested in November 2024 and eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree burglary.
“This was an act driven by greed,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell in a statement. “Even after taking two lives, this defendant continued to lie to police to try to get the car. Thanks to the hard work of Peoria Police and our prosecutors, his story unraveled, and he will now face the consequences for the rest of his life.”
Smith will serve both life sentences without the possibility of parole.
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Author: thedailycrime1
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