Family hopes for new leads 1 year after man killed in Spring Hill home invasion

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - It's been one year since deputies say 22-year-old Alek Smith was beaten, shot and killed during a home invasion in Spring Hill, but still no arrests have been made. His family held a picket-style vigil Sunday in hopes of generating new leads in the case.

"My son had a heart of gold," Smith's mother Elizabeth Clark said.

Smith was on track to marry his fiancée Victoria. Together they had a 3-year-old daughter named Gabriella.

"My son really was an amazing young man. He was a wonderful father. His whole world was his little girl," Clark said.

His young daughter and his fiancée were home when deputies say he was beaten, shot and killed in a home invasion in the early morning hours of October 16, 2018.

Now, one year later his family and law enforcement are still searching for his killer.

"The stuff that happened to him you wouldn't wish on anyone. No one. Not even your worst enemy," Clark said.

As many as 60 people met at the corner of Cortez and Mariner boulevards in Brooksville on Sunday with signs in hand that read "Help Find My Daddy's Killer."

"Come forward. Call the sheriff. Call Crime Stoppers," Clark pleaded. "Tell somebody what you know so that we can get these people off the street."

Clark is using the anniversary of her son's death as a chance to remind people what happened. The family organized the rally at one of the busiest intersections in Brooksville.

They're hoping the more than 200 picket signs they printed up will motivate anyone driving by who knows something to speak up.

"You could be at the gas pump. You could be across the street at McDonald's. The person standing next to you could be the person responsible," Clark said. "So until we know or until they're held accountable for what they've done, we're going to keep coming back here."

If you have any information, call Detective Stephens with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office at 352-797-3722.