A 21-year-old Arizona man received a hefty prison sentence last week after pleading guilty to gunning down a couple when his purchase of a classic sports car from them fell through.
Alexander Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of first degree murder and one count of burglary and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus 20 years in prison.
“This was an act driven by greed; even after taking two lives this defendant continued to lie to police to try to get the car,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “Thanks to Peoria Police and MCAO prosecutors, his story unraveled, and he will spend the rest of his life facing the consequences of his choices.”
Mitchell said that Smith forced his way into the home of Walter Mitchell, 52, and Susie Ephrem, 42, in November 2023. Ephrem called 911 but died at the hospital while Mitchel was pronounced dead on the scene. The couple’s 8-year-old grandson was at the home but was not physically harmed.
The next day, while police were at the home investigating the scene, Smith showed up and said he had arrived to pick up a Ford Shelby GT500 for a collector who had bought the vehicle from Mitchell. He did not provide paperwork and was denied the vehicle; meanwhile detectives found messages between Smith and Mitchell about the sale of the car.
“This message show that the day before the homicide, the victim called off the deal because the wire transfer didn’t go through,” the county attorney’s office said. “That same night, Walter traded the mustang at a car dealership. He and Susie were killed the next morning.”
Two weeks after the murder, Smith appeared at the Peoria Police station and again asked detectives about retrieving the car. This time he told a different story from the one he told the day after the murder.
Investigators checked Smith’s phone records and found that he was posing as the owner of the Shelby to try to trade it with someone else. He kept up that ruse even after the wire transfer failed and Mitchell called off the sale, telling his potential buyer he was trade the car the next day — the day of the murder.
GPS data found that Smith had been nearby around the time of the shooting, and his fingerprints were found on the victims’ door handle.
