FLORENCE, S.C. — Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Jaremy Alexander Smith, 35, of Marion, South Carolina, for the 2024 kidnapping, carjacking, and murder of a Marion County EMS worker. A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment on Feb. 24. He is 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.
The indictment charges that on March 13, 2024, Smith entered the home of Phonesia Machado-Fore in Marion where he kidnapped her and forced her to drive her vehicle to a remote location near Nichols. Once there, Smith executed Machado-Fore behind an abandoned house while she was bound and blindfolded. Smith then drove Machado-Fore’s car back to her residence where he stole several firearms that he later sold. Smith then drove the stolen car to New Mexico, where he killed New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Officer Justin Hare on March 15, 2024. In April 2025, Smith was sentenced to life in prison in the District of New Mexico for killing the NMSP Officer.
United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi authorized the District of South Carolina to pursue capital punishment in this case. Smith is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on Feb. 26 at 2:30 p.m. in Florence.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everett McMillian and Christopher Lietzow are prosecuting the case with support from DOJ’s Capital Case Section Trial Attorneys Barry Disney and Julie Adams.
All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
