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by WILL FOLKS
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After receiving authorization from the attorney general of the United States, South Carolina’s top federal prosecutor is seeking the death penalty in connection with the graphic 2024 murder of emergency medical technician Phonesia Machado-Fore of Marion County, S.C.
Jaremy A. Smith, 35, of Marion, S.C., is accused of kidnapping Machado-Fore from her home on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 and forcing her to drive to a remote location near Nichols, S.C. There, according to a federal indictment, he executed her behind an abandoned building where her body was found bound and blindfolded two days later.
Following Machado-Fore’s murder, Smith allegedly returned to her home in Marion and stole several firearms – which he later sold. He also took her white 2011 BMW 335i on a cross country trip to New Mexico, where he murdered officer Justin Hare of the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) on March 15, 2024.
Hare was shot and killed while attempting to assist Smith on the side of Interstate 40 approximately nine miles southwest of Tucumcari, New Mexico. Smith pleaded guilty to Hare’s murder last January and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last April.
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In the case of Machado-Fore’s murder, Smith has been 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,” according to a release from the office of U.S. attorney Bryan Stirling.
Machado-Fore, 52, was a sergeant with the Florence County emergency medical services division. She had served with the unit since 2017, and was remembered by her colleagues as having “a servant’s heart” and as someone who “genuinely loved people.”
“Her infectious laughter, quick wit, and devious smile were part of who she was as a person, coworker, and friend,” a statement posted by the division at the time of her death noted. “While she may not always agree with you, you knew that she would be there for you if you needed anything. Phonesia would strive, every day, to be the best person she could and to take care of others.”
U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi authorized Stirling’s office to seek the death penalty against Smith, who will be arraigned in federal court in Florence, S.C. at 2:30 p.m. EST this Thursday afternoon (February 26, 2026).
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RELATED | ‘PREVENTABLE AND BRUTAL‘
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Those familiar with our media outlet’s coverage of such preventable tragedies know exactly where we stand on Stirling’s decision – we support it wholeheartedly.
Like so many violent criminals accused of similar crimes in the Palmetto State, Smith should have never been on the streets. Now, it falls to our justice system to end his criminal career – permanently.
Prior to the murders, Smith had a lengthy criminal record in South Carolina dating back to 2007. That record included a 2014 escape from the Marion County detention center as he was awaiting trial on various charges linked to an armed robbery. Smith was released from the custody of the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC) on December 1, 2023, according to probation records. At the time of his latest crime spree, he was under “active supervision” in Marlboro County, S.C. – supervision which was scheduled to end on July 28, 2024.
Too often, accountability in cases like this depends on where and when the crime took place.
Capital punishment was abolished in New Mexico in 2009. Ten years ago, former governor Susanna Martinez attempted to bring it back in cases of child murder, the murder of prison employees by inmates and the murder of on-duty police officers – but that bill died in the New Mexico Senate.
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Federally, the death penalty has been a moving target in recent years. It was abolished in 1972, reinstated in 1988 and temporarily suspended by Joe Biden in 2021. On his way out of office, Biden added insult to injury by commuting the death sentences of 37 of the 40 federally condemned inmates – a move we referred to as “a stunning display of contempt for crime victims and their families.”
FITSNews has consistently advocated on behalf of the expansion of capital punishment – both as it relates to the frequency with which it is carried out and the methods by which it is implemented. We’ve also editorialized in favor of expanding the statutory scope of capital punishment – making more crimes eligible to receive the death penalty.
Especially horrific crimes involving children…
South Carolina re-instituted its death penalty in 2024 following a thirteen-year moratorium attributable to the lack of availability of lethal injection drugs. So far, only seven (7) condemned inmates have been put to death in the seventeen months since the state re-instituted capital punishment.
Smith’s case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). Assistant U.S. attorneys Everett McMillian and Christopher Lietzow are prosecuting the case with support from DOJ capital punishment attorneys Barry Disney and Julie Adams.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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