Offender Record · OFF-2026-171
Samuel L. Smithers (photo from the Radford University biography)
Samuel L. Smithers
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
6'0"
Born
1953
Custody
Deceased
States
FL, TN
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Samuel L. Smithers was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the May 1996 murders of Denise Roach (age 31, female, sex worker) and Christy Cowan (age 24, female, sex worker) in Plant City, Hillsborough County, Florida. Both women's bodies were found in a pond on a property where Smithers worked as a caretaker. Smithers confessed to the murders. He was convicted on December 18, 1998, and sentenced to death on June 25, 1999. Smithers was executed by lethal injection on October 14, 2025.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date May 12, 1996, Plant City, Florida
First-degree murder
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office · Circuit Court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County, Florida · Docket 96-CF-008093-A · Florida Statute 782.04 (First-degree murder) · Arrested May 28, 1996 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death penalty; executed October 14, 2025
Denise Roach, age 31, was engaged for sexual services at a Tampa motel on May 12, 1996. Smithers transported her to a 27-acre property in Plant City where he assaulted her, including striking her on the head, causing her to lose consciousness. The medical examiner testified she died from a combination of strangulation, stab wounds, and blunt impact to the head. Smithers left the property but returned the next day and dragged her body to a pond.
SourcesSmithers v. State, 2025 Florida Supreme Court Decisions; IN THE SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA SAMUEL L. SMITHERS v. STATE OF FLORIDA; Samuel L. Smithers v. State of Florida; Radford University serial killer biography: Smithers, Samuel L.
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
2
Victims convicted
2
Victims confessed
1
Victims suspected
Active years
1996–1996
Victim profile
Sex workers, Young women
Confessed
Yes
Education
some college
Marital history
Married
Children
1
Died
2025-10-14 · executed
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Florida Department of Corrections · FL
Agency case 96-8093
Held in custody from 1999 until execution; housed at Florida State Prison (Raiford)
Source: WUSF, Tampa Bay Times
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office · FL
Agency case 96-8093
Initial arrest and investigation of 1996 murders; also investigated 1989 cold case (Marcelle Delano)
Source: Wikipedia, Florida Supreme Court, Tampa Bay Times
Florida Department of Law Enforcement · FL
FDLE agent Sandy Noblitt investigated potential connection to 1989 Marcelle Delano murder
Source: Tampa Bay Times
Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office, 13th Judicial Circuit · FL
Agency case 96-8093
Prosecuted first-degree murder charges; obtained indictment June 12, 1996
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
FL
Panama City, Florida
approx. 1982 – 1995 · Moved with wife Sharon
Tampa, Florida
approx. 1982 – 1996 · Gas station (for Sharon's father); Eastern Marine; Tampa Ship Yard; later worked as electrician in Tampa
Plant City, Florida
approx. 1982 – 1996 · Lived with wife Sharon and adopted son near Plant City High School
Plant City, Florida
1995 – 1996 · Lawn caretaker/groundskeeper at Marion Whitehurst's 27-acre property; also deacon and custodian at First Baptist Church of Plant City
Tampa, Florida
1996 – 1996 · The Stroll—a 16-block stretch in central Tampa with motels where prostitution was prominent; Luxury Motel area
Hillsborough, Florida
approx. May 28, 1996 – Jul 15, 1999 · Hillsborough County Jail pending trial
Plant City, Florida
May 28, 1996 – May 28, 1996 · Arrested at Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department after confessing to murders
Raiford, Florida
approx. Jul 15, 1999 – Oct 14, 2025 · Florida State Prison / Union Correctional Institution (death row); received July 15, 1999; inmate number 124639
TN
Tennessee
approx. 1953 – 1982 · Chattanooga area
Chattanooga, Tennessee
1971 – 1971 · Graduated high school June 1971; attended Chattanooga Technical School for junior college September 1971
Tennessee
approx. 1979 – 1980 · Volunteer firefighter; Southern Baptist Church deacon
Tennessee
approx. 1980 – 1982 · State prison for arson; sentence suspended on good behavior and psychiatric counseling
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1996pickup truck
approx. 1996 – 1996
Smithers was frequently seen driving a white pickup. Sex workers told authorities they recognized him and his pickup. He was seen with Christy Cowan in a pickup near the Luxury Motel.
Timeline
Jan 30, 1953
Samuel L. Smithers born in Tennessee.
Jun 1971
Smithers graduated high school.
Sep 1971
Smithers attended Chattanooga Technical School for junior college.
1973
Smithers married Sharon; she was 17 years old.
1979
Smithers became a full-fledged deacon at his Southern Baptist Church.
Jan 09, 1980
A fire started at Smithers' church; he extinguished it. The fire was caused by kerosene intentionally placed on a pillow.
Jan 09, 1980
A second fire started two hours later in a classroom at the church; Smithers discovered and reported it.
Apr 14, 1980
Smithers was arrested for the three fires and confessed to all of them.
Apr 14, 1980
Smithers knocked on a neighbor's door to report her car was on fire and already had a fire extinguisher.
Jun 1980
Court date held for Smithers' arson charges.
Oct 31, 1980
Smithers was sentenced to 3-5 years in state prison for arson; the sentence was suspended on good behavior and psychiatric counseling.
1982
Smithers' father died; Smithers was approximately 30 years old.
1982
Smithers' family relocated to Florida; his parents moved to Plant City and Smithers and Sharon moved to Panama City.
1982
Smithers was robbed while working at a gas station and hit on the head with the butt of a shotgun.
1995
Smithers agreed to mow the grass at Marion Whitehurst's 27-acre vacant property in Plant City.
Feb 1995
Sharon's mother died.
Mar 1995
Sharon's father had a stroke.
Oct 1995
Sharon's grandfather died.
1996
An old rape case involving a prostitute was reopened. No conclusions were reached but law enforcement suspected Smithers was involved.
May 12, 1996
Smithers murdered Denise Roach, age 31, whom he picked up at a Tampa motel for sexual services. He transported her to the Whitehurst property, where he assaulted and killed her. He initially left the property but returned the next day to dispose of her body in a pond.
May 28, 1996
Marion Whitehurst arrived at the property and discovered Smithers cleaning an axe with blood visible in the carport. Smithers claimed he was cutting tree limbs.
May 28, 1996
Whitehurst called police. Deputy noted drag marks from the carport to a pond where Christy Cowan's body was found floating in the water. A dive team discovered Denise Roach's body in the same pond.
May 28, 1996
Smithers was arrested and brought in for questioning. He was hooked up to a polygraph which indicated he was lying. After being informed of the results, he confessed to the murders.
May 28, 1996
Smithers murdered Christy Cowan, age 24, whom he picked up at a Tampa motel for sexual services approximately one hour after leaving work. He transported her to the Whitehurst property, where they had an argument over money. Smithers struck Cowan with an axe and strangled her. He dragged her body to the pond.
Jun 12, 1996
A Hillsborough County grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Samuel Smithers with the first-degree murders of Cristy Cowan and Denise Roach.
1997
Murder trial began and stretched over approximately a year and a half.
Dec 18, 1998
Jury convicted Smithers of two counts of first-degree murder. The jury reached a verdict in one hour and 35 minutes.
Jan 22, 1999
Penalty phase commenced.
Jan 24, 1999
Jury unanimously recommended death penalty for both murders by a vote of twelve to zero.
Apr 15, 1999
Hearing held to determine aggravating factors and mitigating circumstances.
Jun 25, 1999
Smithers was sentenced to death for both first-degree murders.
Jul 15, 1999
Smithers received at Union Correctional Institution on death row (inmate number 124639).
May 16, 2002
Florida Supreme Court affirmed Smithers' convictions and death sentences on direct appeal.
2009
Cold case investigators from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement visited Smithers at Union Correctional Institution to ask about the unsolved 1989 murder of Marcelle Delano, a Tampa sex worker found in a pond. Smithers did not admit to involvement.
Oct 14, 2025
Smithers was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Florida at 6:15 p.m. He was 72 years old and the 14th person executed in Florida in 2025, a state record for executions in a single year.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Smithers, Samuel L.“Born in 1953 in Tennessee. Graduated high school 1971. Married Sharon in 1973. Became church deacon 1979. Arrested April 14, 1980 for fires; confessed to all three fires; sentenced October 31, 1980 to 3-5 years in state prison on good behavior and psychiatric counseling. Started mowing lawn for Marion Whitehurst in Plant City, 1995. Murdered Denise Roach May 12, 1996; Christy Cowan May 28, 1996. Arrested May 28, 1996. Convicted first-degree murder both counts December 1998. Sentenced to death penalty June 25, 1999.”
News report · WUSF ·
72-year-old executed for 1996 murders of two women in Hillsborough County“Samuel Smithers, 72, had been on Death Row in Florida since 1999 for the 1996 murders of two women in Hillsborough County. Smithers was convicted of the first-degree murders of Christy Cowan and Denise Roach, and leaving their bodies in a Plant City pond in 1996.”
News report · Tampa Bay Times ·
Florida executes Plant City's 'Deacon of Death' for murders of 2 women“In 1998, a jury found Smithers guilty of killing Christie Elizabeth Cowan and Denise Elaine Roach, Tampa sex workers who were found dead in a pond in east Hillsborough County. Smithers lived with his wife and son near Plant City High School, and he worked as an electrician in Tampa. He'd been a deacon and a custodian at the local First Baptist Church, but he resigned a year before the murders after he was accused of offering to falsify a woman's community service hours in exchange for sex.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Samuel Lee Smithers - Wikipedia“Samuel Lee Smithers (January 30, 1953 – October 14, 2025), dubbed the Deacon of Death, was an American convicted murderer and suspected serial killer who was sentenced to death in Florida for the 1996 murders of two women. Smithers was named a suspect in a 1989 unsolved killing and was found guilty of first-degree murder on both counts and sentenced to death, and he was executed by lethal injection on October 14, 2025.”
Court record · United States Supreme Court ·
PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI“Case Caption: State of Florida v. Samuel L. Smithers. Date of Entry of Judgement: Indicted, June 12, 1996; Convicted, December 18, 1998; Jury Recommendation, January 24, 1999; Sentence of Death, June 25, 1999.”
Court record · Florida Supreme Court via Justia ·
Smithers v. State, 2025 Florida Supreme Court Decisions“In 1996, Samuel Smithers was hired to maintain a 27-acre property in Plant City, Florida, where two women, Cristy Cowan and Denise Roach, were found murdered near the property's ponds. After being questioned by law enforcement, Smithers gave inconsistent statements and ultimately confessed to both murders.”
Court record · CourtListener ·
Samuel L. Smithers v. State of Florida“After the discovery of the bodies, Smithers agreed to submit to an interview at the Sheriff's Department and was questioned for almost three hours. In an interview the next day, Smithers provided inconsistent statements and eventually admitted to the murders of Cowan and Roach. He was arrested and charged with both murders.”
News report · Tampa Bay Times ·
Hillsborough detectives check potential link between killer, 1989 cold case“A cold case investigator with the Sheriff's Office and a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent wanted to talk about a woman named Marcelle Delano. She, too, was a prostitute from Tampa. In 1989, her body was found in an overgrown swamp not far from the place where Smithers later killed the two other women.”
Court record · Florida Supreme Court ·
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA SAMUEL L. SMITHERS v. STATE OF FLORIDA“Smithers was convicted and sentenced to death on June 25, 1999, for the first degree murders of Cristy Cowan and Denise Roach. At the close of all the evidence, the jury convicted Smithers of two counts of first-degree murder. The jury ultimately recommended death sentences by a vote of twelve to zero.”
Court record · Florida Supreme Court ·
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA CASE NO. SC07-2258 Samuel L. Smithers“A Hillsborough County grand jury returned a two-count indictment on June 12, 1996 charging Samuel Smithers with the first degree murders of Cristy Cowan and Denise Roach. The murder of Cowan was alleged to have taken place May 28, 1996 and the murder of Roach sometime between May 12, 1996 and May 28, 1996.”
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