Justin Smith, a 26-year-old Pennsylvania man, was apprehended in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday after being on the run for allegedly murdering his pregnant girlfriend, Dianna Brice, 21. Smith was caught driving a vehicle with an expired registration and attempted to escape on foot before being captured by the police. He is now facing extradition to Pennsylvania to face charges related to Brice’s death.
According to the Upper Darby Police Department in Pennsylvania, Brice was last seen with Smith on March 30, 2021, at K Laundry in Lansdowne, Delaware County. Her body was later discovered in a wooded area in southwest Philadelphia, not far from where Smith’s burning car was found. Brice was 14 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, and her mother has stated that Smith was the father of the unborn child.
Until Smith’s capture, the only individual held legally accountable for Brice’s death was Tylydiah Garnett. Prosecutors claimed that Garnett assisted Smith in disposing of Brice’s body and evading law enforcement. Garnett confessed in court to driving Smith to Florida.
Garnett was found guilty of arson, abuse of a corpse, and hindering apprehension. During her sentencing hearing in September 2023, she claimed that she aided Smith out of fear that he would harm her and her family. Judge Rosemarie Defino sentenced Garnett to 11 1/2 months to 23 months in prison, followed by five years of probation.
Judge Defino reportedly stated that Garnett “let him get away” and “needs to go to jail.” Now, with Smith’s capture, authorities are turning their attention to holding him accountable for his alleged crimes.