'Murder at the Motel' Episode 1: A&E's true crime series traces Evan Smith's horrifying act of killing his girlfriend
BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: A&E's latest true crime series, 'Murder at the Motel', explores brutal murder cases in motels and the pursuit to deliver justice.
Episode 1 titled 'Tragedy in the Township' uncovers a shocking crime in a motel room in Falls Township, Pennsylvania on July 1, 2021.
The police found a woman, later identified as Jamie Beighley, on the floor of the motel room without a pulse, covered in blood.
She was rushed to the hospital but unfortunately succumbed to her injuries three days later. The cause of her death was reported to be strangulation.
Who killed Jamie Beighley?
Beighley's partner, Evan Marquis Smith, 39, who escaped the motel room when the police arrived, was soon apprehended near his children's home in Morrisville.
In September 2021, Smith was found guilty under charges of third-degree murder, aggravated assault, strangulation, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault, fleeing and eluding, and driving without headlights to avoid detection.
During the trial, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office presented evidence detailing a history of domestic violence perpetrated by Smith against Beighley over the last many years.
This evidence included hundreds of threatening text messages dating back to early May 2021, where Smith threatened to harm Beighley and her family.
The authorities revealed that Smith choked Beighley to the “point of unconsciousness” during a “heated verbal confrontation,” leading to her tragic death, mentions Levittown Now, in its report dated September 8, 2022.
Evan Marquis Smith was found guilty in girlfriend's death
During the court proceedings, the 15-year-old son of Beighley and Smith, one of their three children, provided testimony.
He recounted two prior instances of domestic violence, the first resulting in his mother's injuries, and the second involving his father setting fire to their trailer on April 28, 2021.
Smith is currently serving his time of 23 ½ to 47 years in state prison, with the court also imposing a no-contact order between Smith and Beighley's family.
'Murder at the Motel' trailer
The true crime episode involving Evan Marquis Smith is available to stream on A&E