08/25/2026
MURDER TRIAL BEGINS FOR THE ACCUSED OF KILLING PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND, HIDING HER BODY AND SPENDING 4 YEARS ON THE RUN
The first-degree murder trial is underway for a man accused of killing his 21-year-old pregnant girlfriend in 2021 and then spending more than four years on the run.
Dianna Brice was 14 weeks pregnant with a baby boy when prosecutors say her boyfriend, Justin Smith, shot and killed her.
Brice disappeared in late March 2021 after her mother last saw her at a laundromat in Delaware County. Her mother testified that Brice was crying in the backseat of her car with Smith before the couple left together.
Days later, Brice was found dead in Southwest Philadelphia, wrapped in a comforter and trash bags.
Prosecutors allege Smith later met Tylydia Garnett at a garage in Kensington, where Brice’s body was transferred to another vehicle. Smith’s car was later found on fire in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood.
The defense offered a different account, arguing Brice threatened to kill herself with a gun inside Smith’s vehicle and that the weapon accidentally discharged during a struggle.
Investigators say surveillance video, DNA evidence, cellphone records and eyewitness testimony pointed to Smith as the killer.
Smith was wanted for more than four years before authorities arrested him during a traffic stop in Atlanta in March 2026 and returned him to Philadelphia.
Garnett previously pleaded guilty to abuse of co**se, hindering apprehension and arson. Prosecutors said she also helped Smith flee south to avoid arrest. She served two years in prison.
Smith’s trial is expected to continue throughout the week !!!!!!!!!!!!
