After her disappearance, Fran Smith's husband faces murder charges in a twisted tale of dark secrets: A Dateline exclusive
Fran Smith’s family and the FBI agent who spent decades investigating her disappearance are outraged that New Jersey prosecutors made a deal with her husband.
After Fran Smith vanished in 1991, her husband’s dark secrets began to unravel.
In the three decades since, John Smith, 73, was convicted of killing his first wife in Ohio years earlier, in a murder authorities weren’t even aware of until they began investigating Fran’s disappearance.
Fran’s body has never been found, but prosecutors in New Jersey charged her husband in her death five years ago. Then the case took an unusual turn: Those same prosecutors dropped the murder charge against Smith in exchange for information her family and the FBI agent who spent years investigating the cases said is unreliable and likely untrue.
For more on the case, tune in to "Chameleon" on "Dateline" at at 9 ET/8 CT tonight.
In this first interview about the deal, retired FBI special agent Robert Hilland called out prosecutors for the arrangement.
Rating: 5