John Jefferson
Left: Phonesia Machado-Fore (Marion County Sheriff’s Office). Center: Jaremy Smith (New Mexico State Police). Right: Officer Justin Hare (New Mexico State Police).
A man described as a “cold-blooded killer” from South Carolina is behind bars for allegedly forcing a paramedic to wear a dog shock collar and walk into the woods — where he gunned her down “execution-style” — before going on a cross-country crime rampage to Texas and New Mexico, where he then killed a police officer.
Jaremy Smith, 33, has already pleaded guilty to the killing of New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare and is currently facing life in prison. Now, new court documents filed in late January outline the allegations against him in the death of paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore, of Marion County, last March.
Smith is accused of kidnapping Machado-Fore, who was reported as a missing person by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on March 14 and found dead on March 15, after allegedly swiping some guns from her home. He allegedly took her hostage in a BMW she owned after the theft and drove her out to some woods in the area, about a half-mile away, before killing her.
“Agents believe Smith abducted and restrained (Machado-Fore) near her residence … transported her alive in the BMW to the body location, had her walk into the woods, then shot her once in the back of the head execution-style,” a federal search warrant reads from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, which was filed by an FBI agent investigating Smith’s crimes in South Carolina on Jan. 29 and obtained Tuesday by local CBS affiliate WBTW.
When police found Machado-Fore’s remains, she was wearing pajamas and house slippers, according to the search warrant. She had injuries to her face and the shock collar was secured around her neck, WBTW reports. Plastic zip ties, which had been cut, were found next to her, and her face had bloody bandannas on it. There was also plastic tape on her mouth, the search warrant said.
“There is no place in our society for cold-blooded killers, which is exactly what he is,” New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler told WBTW. “A ruthless murderer who took the lives of two of this country’s finest servants.”
After the armed robbery and Machado-Fore murder, an unnamed associate met up with Smith and they drove from South Carolina to Texas, with the acquaintance later telling police about it, according to the search warrant.
“Along the way, (unnamed associate) indicated Smith displayed a handgun, became disrespectful and threatened to kill him,” the document says. It alleges that Smith and the friend committed an armed robbery while driving to Atlanta and then eventually Texas.
The associate chose to stay in the Lone Star State while Smith continued on to New Mexico, where he encountered Hare after getting a flat tire and shot him with a Taurus 9 mm handgun. Smith’s plea agreement, which was filed on Jan. 17 and viewed by Law&Crime Wednesday, outlines what happened in his own words.
“I explained to Officer (Hare) that I had a flat tire, and Officer (Hare) offered to drive me into the nearest town,” Smith said. “At that point, and while still standing at the passenger window of the police cruiser, I shot Officer (Hare) once in the head with the Taurus 9mm firearm. I then walked from the passenger side window of Officer (Hare’s) police cruiser, around the front of the car, to the driver’s side window and shot Officer (Hare) two additional times. I fired all three shots with the intent to cause death and serious bodily injury.”
After shooting Hare, Smith said he got into his squad car and began driving “intentionally” with the emergency lights still flashing.
“Officer (Hare) was still in the vehicle when I drove off, and my purpose for driving the police cruiser from the scene was to facilitate my escape,” Smith said. “With Officer (Hare) still inside the police cruiser, I drove for approximately four minutes and 24 seconds on U.S. Interstate 40 before exiting on a frontage road. I drove for less than one minute on the frontage road before stopping the police cruiser at a remote location. After stopping the vehicle, I removed Officer (Hare) from the police cruiser and left him lying face up on the roadway. I then re-entered the police cruiser and drove from the scene.”
In connection with Hare’s death, Smith pleaded guilty to five counts, including carjacking resulting in death, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence and kidnapping resulting in death. He is currently locked up at the Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County while he awaits his sentencing. He is due to go to trial in South Carolina in the coming months, where he is facing 17 charges — including murder, kidnapping, carjacking, criminal conspiracy, two counts of grand larceny of a motor vehicle, two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and seven counts of being a felon in possession of a handgun.
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