CLINTON ANTHONY SMITH
Laurens, S.C.; October 22, 2018 – A Greenwood man was sentenced to 37 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of his estranged wife.
Clinton Anthony Smith, 42, of Greenwood, pleaded guilty to murder for the 2017 killing of 40-year-old Kimberly Smith, his estranged wife.
Circuit Judge Letitia Verdin then handed down the 37-year prison sentence, which must be served day-for-day under South Carolina law, meaning Clinton Smith will not be eligible for parole or early release.
On March 20, 2017 at about 2:45 p.m., Clinton Smith went to the home of his estranged wife Kimberly Smith. Kimberly Smith and Clinton Smith separated about four weeks prior following a dispute. Kimberly Smith was lying in her bed after working the night shift and asked her son to make sure the door to their home was locked as he was leaving. Kimberly Smith’s son went to his older sister’s house across the road. Later the two heard gunshots and called 911. The door to the home was found kicked in by law enforcement and Kimberly Smith was fatally shot four times. Kimberly Smith’s son and daughter spotted Clinton Smith’s vehicle leaving the area, and had talked with Smith earlier in the evening.
Greenwood County deputies later found Clinton Smith’s vehicle and arrested him after Smith fully confessed to shooting his estranged wife.
Deputy Solicitor Dale Scott prosecuted the case for the state with assistance from 8th Circuit Investigator Walter Bentley and Victim Advocate Rhetta Christian. Clinton Smith was represented by the Laurens County Public Defender’s Office.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff, along with Investigators Michael Polson and David Staton of the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, in securing the conviction and lengthy prison sentence.
“Kimberly Smith was a devoted mother who was violently taken far too soon from her children, at the hands of the man who should have been protecting them as husband and step-dad,” Solicitor Stumbo said following the proceeding. “My office will continue to stand with our law enforcement partners to aggressively prosecute domestic abusers like Clinton Smith.”