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Unsolved homicide 4 years later
Catherine Hawley reports.
SPRING HILL, Fla. - Four years ago, a Spring Hill man was murdered during a home invasion – and detectives have not identified a killer.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 16, 2018, 22-year-old Alek Smith was beaten, shot, and killed, investigators said. His home was located along Legend Street.
One year after his death, his family told FOX 13 that Smith was on track to marry his fiancée Victoria Casey. Together they had a daughter named Gabriella.
"My son really was an amazing young man. He was a wonderful father. His whole world was his little girl," Smith's mother Elizabeth Clark said at the time. "My son had a heart of gold."
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From 2019: Family seeks justice a year after fatal home invasion
22-year-old Alek Smith was beaten, shot and killed during a home invasion in Spring Hill last year, but still no arrests have been made. His family held a picket-style vigil Sunday in hopes of generating new leads in the case.
His daughter and fiancée were home when the murder occurred. Hernando County investigators said multiple gunmen entered the house. Smith confronted them while his loved ones were sleeping in nearby bedrooms.
"They were monsters," said Casey. "He was beaten so badly you couldn’t even recognize him."
Casey replays that nightmare every time she closes her eyes. She said the last four years have been torture. Their daughter is now six, and growing up without her father.
Photo of Alek Smith, his fiancée and daughter (provided by family)
"I’d just like for the people responsible to be held accountable. I mean, you can't do something so horrible and just have no consequences," she said. "And then we're stuck suffering for the rest of our lives."
This week marks four years since Smith's death, detectives are once again making a plea to the public for information that could lead to an arrest.
"Detectives have worked continuously on this case since the date of occurrence; however they still need your help," according to a statement from the sheriff's office. "Even the smallest piece of information may be helpful."
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If you have any information, call Detective Tom Cameron with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office at 352-754-6830. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-8477.