Jaremy Alexander Smith, Kidnapping and Murder, South Carolina 2024

Florence, SC – In a shocking turn of events, Jaremy Alexander Smith, a 35-year-old man from Marion, South Carolina, has been accused of kidnapping and murdering a local EMS worker.

According to the indictment, Smith entered the home of Phonesia Machado-Fore in Marion on March 13, 2024, where he kidnapped her and forced her to drive her vehicle to a remote location near Nichols. Once there, Smith executed Machado-Fore behind an abandoned house while she was bound and blindfolded.

Smith then drove Machado-Fore’s car back to her residence where he stole several firearms that he later sold. His crime spree didn’t end there, as he drove the stolen car to New Mexico, where he killed New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Officer Justin Hare on March 15, 2024.

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everett McMillian and Christopher Lietzow are prosecuting the case with support from DOJ’s Capital Case Section Trial Attorneys Barry Disney and Julie Adams.

United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi authorized the District of South Carolina to pursue capital punishment in this case. Smith is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on February 26 at 2:30 p.m. in Florence.

All charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and Smith is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. However, the severity of the crimes committed by Smith has raised concerns among local authorities and the community.

The sentence of life in prison, handed down in April 2025, in the District of New Mexico for killing the NMSP Officer, has not been enough to deter Smith from committing further crimes. The community is calling for justice, and the prosecution is determined to seek the death penalty in this case.

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