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17 Years Later, The Four-Year-Old Witness Was Right
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 24, 2011
Modified Jan 24, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 24, 2011
Modified Jan 24, 2011
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Not every long-unsolved crime can have a heartwarming ending. For instance, though it offers little consolation after 17 years, the NYPD last month got the ball rolling to close the murder case of 22-year-old Jessica Smith. When cops first investigated Smith's 1993 death, her oldest daughter, 4-year-old Christina, told them that "Daddy shot Mommy in the head." But police didn't want to put a tot on the stand and so "Daddy" DeJohn Hoffman, who was Smith's boyfriend but not Christina's father, got off.
Luckily, justice is patient and in December, Hoffman—who was already doing time for another murder—was indicted on two counts of murder in the case. What changed? Cold case police analyzed DNA evidence that Hoffman had Smith's blood on his clothes and got a friend who helped hide Smith's body to flip. Which is all well and good, but the news isn't going to be much comfort for Christina. Unable to cope with the experience, she was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and is currently living in a group home in New Jersey.
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