A Sampson man has been charged in connection with his wife’s killing, authorities said.
Winfield Sespincer Smith Jr., 43, of 2329 Trinity Church Road, Magnolia, was charged with murder in the death of his wife, Barbara Anne Smith, 55,, who was found dead Feb. 16. According to reports, Smith was arrested Friday at the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and placed in the Sampson County Detention Center without privilege of bond.
Sheriff’s officials were mum about the investigation that led to Smith’s arrest in the murder of his wife, whose address was initially listed by authorities as being a neighboring residence on Trinity Church Road. They said Tuesday that the address was an error, and Smith and his wife both lived at 2329 Trinity Church Road, where the incident took place. They did not release a possible motive or the exact cause of death, confirming only that Smith had been charged in the case.
“Winfield Smith was taken into custody Friday in connection with the murder investigation related to Barbara Anne Smith. Unfortunately at this time we have no further information to release on the case,” Sheriff’s Lt. Marcus Smith said Monday.
A search of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety database revealed no criminal history for Winfield Smith.
Around 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, sheriff’s deputies and Sampson County EMS personnel responded to what was described as an “unknown situation” around the 2300 block of Trinity Church Road in southern Sampson County. A call in to the E-911 Center prompted the response.
A body was discovered inside the Trinity Church Road residence and sheriff’s officials said “sufficient evidence was present to warrant a homicide investigation.”
The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation immediately identified a person of interest in the case. Barbara Smith’s identity was not disclosed by authorities until two days later, due to ongoing relative notifications. No suspect information was released either, with sheriff’s officials citing “the active dynamics of the investigation.”
Smith reportedly had “multiple trauma wounds consistent with a homicide,” sheriff’s officials said at the time her body was discovered. They said the official cause of death was pending a forensic medical exam by the Sampson County Medical Examiner, whose exam findings were not immediately available.