Scott Lee Smith sentenced to 30 years in prison for murdering wife
Scott Lee Smith (Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
A 47-year-old Colorado man will spend decades behind bars for killing his wife. A Jefferson County state judge on Wednesday sentenced Scott Lee Smith to a 30-year sentence at the Colorado Department of Justice for the fatal shooting of his wife, 47-year-old Kanokwan “Nok” Smith, authorities confirmed to Law&Crime.
On November 1, 2020, deputies responded to a 911 call regarding a possible shooting at an apartment building on Block 5400 of West Ottawa Avenue, according to a press release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The caller – later identified as Smith – told the dispatcher that he shot his wife in self-defense because she tried to “kill him with a butcher knife.”
Upon arriving at the address, first responders found the body of Kanokwan Smith, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kanokwan Nok Smith (via KUSA screenshot)
Authorities initially arrested Scott Smith at the scene of his wife’s death and charged him with first-degree murder, but he was released days later after prosecutors charged the 1st District Attorney’s Office. Smith claimed he was acting in self-defense.
Public court records also showed that Scott Smith had filed for divorce just weeks before the shooting.
JCSO detectives continued to investigate the circumstances of Kanokwan Smith’s death and 10 months after the fatal shooting, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Scott Smith. He was taken into custody a second time and charged again with first-degree murder, domestic violence and evidence tampering.
“The DA’s office wanted more evidence; Any prosecutor’s office is probably a little reluctant to prosecute unless there is enough evidence to win their case,” Jenny Fulton, director of public affairs at JCSO, said in a statement to Oxygen.com in 2021. “Therefore they demanded that we continue our efforts and if we were able to develop a stronger case they would consider a re-prosecution.”
Additionally, Smith’s mother, Theresa Rino, was arrested a few days after her son and was charged with aiding and abetting a crime, attempting to manipulate physical evidence, and conspiring to manipulate physical evidence.
“We worked very hard on the case and were able to get it to the point where the DA’s office is convenient enough to file charges against Scott Smith and his mother,” Fulton reportedly said. “We believe that [Rino] helped Scott hide or dispose of evidence.”
Theresa Rino (JCSO)
It’s unclear what additional evidence investigators have obtained, but Scott Smith pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last month and also agreed to an increase in his sentence for committing a violent crime resulting in death or serious bodily harm.
His mother is scheduled to appear in court again on March 10. It’s unclear if she filed a plea.
In an email to Law&Crime, a spokesman for the 1st District Attorney’s Office said a press release on the case would be issued Thursday afternoon.
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https://lawandcrime.com/crime/colorado-man-gets-decades-in-prison-for-murdering-wife-after-claiming-she-attacked-him-with-butcher-knife/ Scott Lee Smith sentenced to 30 years in prison for murdering wife