On January 23, 2008, Rhonda Smith was discovered face down in an office at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Springfield Township, Pennsylvania. Watch Philly Homicide On Saturdays on Oxygen and Peacock. Smith, 42, had been shot twice. Judy Zellner, a detailed pal of the victim, stumbled upon the horrifying scene when she arrived at 12:30 p.m. Zellner’s frantic 911 call will be heard in the "Sinner and Saint" episode of Philly Homicide, BloodVitals SPO2 airing Saturdays at 9/8c p.m. "She’s dead," Zellner told the dispatcher. "There’s blood all over her head and around her head." But when paramedics arrived, they'd found that Smith was still clinging to life, and blood oxygen monitor she was rushed to the hospital. Who was Rhonda Smith? Investigators discovered that Smith had been a member of the church for BloodVitals SPO2 2 years. The pastor and BloodVitals SPO2 congregation had embraced her, and she’d not too long ago taken a component-time job there. "She could not handle a full-time job at the church," mentioned Zellner.
Smith's psychological well being impacted her profession. "Rhonda had a ardour for instructing. She had a passion for youngsters," Deanna Durante, a reporter for Philadelphia-based WCAU, BloodVitals SPO2 said on Philly Homicide. Smith pursued educating in college. "But bipolar obtained to her right at the final semester, and she never graduated," said Zellner. Smith yearned for BloodVitals SPO2 independence and BloodVitals monitor moved into her own condominium. Money was tight. She shared with church pastor BloodVitals monitor Greg Shreaves that she was having trouble paying her payments. The pastor rallied members of the congregation to help. "Some of us gave her money and some present cards, and they put it in a Christmas card," mentioned Zellner. "Three days before Rhonda Smith was found, she stood in entrance of her congregation and thanked them for all of the help that they had given her," stated Durante. Pennsylvania State Troopers processed the scene. They collected bullet fragments that might assist decide the kind of gun the shooter used.
"The police also took possession of the workplace pc for an professional to do a forensic analysis," stated David W. Zellis, who was then a primary Assistant District Attorney within the Bucks County DA's Office. As troopers interviewed church members, the subject of suicide came up. The truth that Smith was shot twice didn’t robotically rule that out. But there was no gun at the scene, Blood Vitals which led to extra questions. "Detectives requested me, did I kick a gun, did I see a gun, did I cover a gun? Several hours after the taking pictures, Smith’s parents made the difficult decision to end life support. "We circled around her, BloodVitals SPO2 holding hands," Zellner instructed Philly Homicide. What have been the outcomes of Rhonda Smith's autopsy? Smith had been shot twice. "One was a glancing wound to her head, BloodVitals SPO2 and the opposite one had penetrated her skull," stated Richard Webb, Jr., who was then a lieutenant with the Pennsylvania State Police. The forensic pathologist observed gunpowder stippling on Smith’s forehead and on her hand.
The proof indicated that she raised her hand in a defensive position. The proof dominated out suicide and Smith's demise was categorized as a homicide. From the bullet fragments, investigators decided that the homicide weapon was a .38 caliber gun. Investigators developed a theory of the crime. "The first gunshot would have stunned or knocked down Rhonda," said Webb. Once they analyzed the church computer, detectives saw that Smith logged on at 9:40 a.m. 10:Fifty eight a.m. She was discovered at 12:30 p.m. Troopers decided the homicide to have occurred at round 11 a.m. Investigators centered on Smith’s close circle, together with Pastor Shreaves. He’d been out of town at a conference for 3 days. Being away "ruled out the likelihood that he could have been involved," stated Webb, including that Shreaves knew his parishioners better than anyone. A one-time person of curiosity was a man who showed up on the church on a pair events. "He said to one in every of our parishioners, ‘This could be an excellent place to rob,’ so we had been a bit of skeptical," said Zellner.