EVERETT — Prosecutors on Tuesday charged a slain Bothell woman’s estranged husband with first-degree murder.
Alan Smith, 37, is accused of plotting the beating and stabbing death of Susann Smith. He was arrested last week after a minister stepped forward and told investigators that Alan Smith allegedly confessed to killing his wife in February.
Detectives say they also have linked the defendant to the crime scene with forensic evidence, including footprints left in Susann Smith’s blood.
The mother of two was found dead in a bathtub. Investigators believe Alan Smith attacked his wife while she was asleep. She was bludgeoned and stabbed and then dragged into the bathroom.
The couple was divorcing and court papers document a bitter custody battle.
Alan Smith was living in a nearby apartment. He moved back to the family home a couple months after the killing. He and his new girlfriend attracted the attention of neighbors, who reported that the two were engaged in sexual activities in the front yard.
Smith was charged Tuesday in Everett District Court. Prosecutors have until July 19 to refile the case into superior court. He remains held on $1 million bail.
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