Beverly Lynn Smith's Decades-Old Cold Case

In the history of Canadian criminal cases, certain incidents stand out for their brutality and the unanswered questions they raise. The unsolved murder of Beverly Lynn Smith is one such case that continues to haunt both investigators and the public decades after the crime occurred. Beverly Lynn Smith. Photo by Toronto Life.

The Incident

Beverly Lynn Smith, a 22-year-old mother, was found murdered in her kitchen in 1974. Her 10-month-old baby slept unharmed in the next room.

On Dec. 9, 1974, Doug Smith, Beverly's husband, was at his day job at General Motors and called to check on her and their daughter, Rebecca. When Beverly didn't answer the phone, Doug called their neighbor Linda Smith (no relation) and asked her to check on Beverly. Linda lived across the street with her husband, Alan Smith, and their daughter. The couples were friendly with each other, with Doug sometimes selling weed to Alan and Linda.

Linda looked through the window and saw Beverly lying lifeless on the kitchen floor. Linda ran home and told Doug, who was waiting on the phone, that he needed to come home.

Because Doug sold marijuana on the side and Beverly was known to sell to customers from the house when Doug wasn't home, police initially believed the murder to be a drug deal gone bad. This mystery prompted an intense police investigation that would span over four decades. Photo by Walter Passarella.

The Investigation

At the time of the investigation into Beverly's death, the Durham police force was just a few months old and had never had a homicide case. On the night of the murder, the force had coincidentally thrown a Christmas party; witnesses say there was a strong smell of alcohol coming from some of the officers' breath.

Investigators speculated that Beverly had set her cigarette down for a moment, perhaps to give a customer weed, and was shot once she returned. But in police documentation, there's uncertainty about the number of cigarette butts, what brand they were, and even how many ashtrays there were. DNA testing showed one of the cigarettes belonged to Beverly, but it's unclear which one.

Furthermore, some evidence was lost or not collected. For months after the murder, investigators wiretapped the phones of several people of interest. Though police still have notes taken during those calls, the recordings themselves have vanished.

Controversy and Setbacks

The investigation into Beverly Lynn Smith's murder was not without its controversies. Missteps and allegations of mishandling evidence surfaced for the police department, casting a shadow over the integrity of the case, which quickly went cold.

In 2007 an old friend of Alan Smith, David Maunder, was interviewed. He told the police that on the night of Beverly's murder, he had called Alan hoping to buy some weed; Alan said he could get some from his neighbor and then called the next day to tell David the drugs were ready for pickup. This interview led the police to bring in Alan's ex-wife Linda for more questioning.

Although the couple had been divorced for a long time, Linda's recount of the night of the murder had changed. She informed the authorities that Alan had been absent from home for about an hour on the night Beverly's body was discovered. She confirmed that while he was gone, she heard what she thought was a car backfiring. She also said she saw him put a rifle into his van. Because she kept changing her story, Linda was charged with obstruction of justice, but her account was enough to help charge Alan with the second-degree murder of Beverly.

Alan was arrested and faced trial in 2014. However, the judge deemed an earlier confession Alan had made, saying he'd stolen 40 pounds of marijuana from Beverly's house while his friend (David Maunder) shot her, as being coerced and inadmissible. As there was no evidence linking Alan to the actual crime, he was acquitted and released from jail.

Unsolved Legacy

As the years have passed, Beverly Lynn Smith's case remains open, a haunting reminder of justice delayed. Efforts to reignite interest in the case periodically surface, spurred on by advancements in forensic technology or the hope that a new witness might come forward. Yet, each attempt to solve the mystery seems to bring more questions than answers.

References: THE STING | What To Know About The Unsolved Murder Of Beverly Lynn Smith | The 40-Year Search For Beverly's Killer | The Beverly Lynn Smith murder: A Star reporter's coverage of the Durham cold case