The U.S. Attorney's Office for South Carolina will seek the death penalty against a Marion man who is charged in the 2024 death of a Marion County EMS worker.
The U.S. Attorney General authorized the office to pursue capital punishment in the case against Jaremy Smith, 35. A notice of intent was filed Wednesday.
Smith is charged with kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, using a firearm during a crime of violence in a manner to constitute murder, possession of stolen firearms, and being a felon in possession of firearms.
In an indictment filed this week, Smith is accused of kidnapping Phonesia Machado-Fore from her Marion home on March 13, 2024, forcing her to drive her vehicle to a remote location near Nichols, and fatally shooting her behind an abandoned house while she was bound and blindfolded.
The indictment further alleges that Smith then drove Machado-Fore's car back to her house where he stole several firearms, sold them, then drove to New Mexico and killed a New Mexico State Police Officer two days after killing Machado-Fore.
Smith was sentenced to life in prison in New Mexico last April. He will be arraigned in a Florence court Thursday. The hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.