By: Gwen Runkle
WEST WINDSOR Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Marie Sypek recently ordered former township resident John David Smith, 51, who is currently serving 15-years-to-life in Wayne County, Ohio, for the murder of his first wife, to pay the family of his second wife $1 million.
Deanna Weiss, the daughter of his second wife, Betty Fran (Gladden) Smith, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Mr. Smith on Sept. 12, 2000.
Ms. Weiss, who lives in Houston, was unavailable for comment, but local police are hopeful the ruling will help them get more information as they continue their investigation.
Betty Fran Smith disappeared from the West Windsor home she shared with Mr. Smith after returning home from hip surgery in September 1991, said West Windsor Township Detective Sgt. Dave Mansue. Mr. Smith remains the prime suspect in her disappearance, he said.
"We are very happy for the family and hope they can gain some comfort in realizing that the court found in their behalf and said Mr. Smith was responsible for the disappearance of Mrs. Smith," Sgt. Mansue said.
"We will continue to investigate the criminal end of it and hopefully someday this can come to a conclusion."
Mr. Smith’s first wife, Janice Hartman, was last seen in 1974 in Wayne County, Ohio, where she and Mr. Smith lived at the time. Indiana highway workers found her skeletal remains in a box in a roadside ditch in 1980.
He was arrested and extradited from California to Wayne County in October 2000 for the murder of Ms. Hartman and was sentenced to serve 15-years-to-life in July.
