Kristin Smart’s family hopes guilty verdict in her 1996 murder brings them some closure.
Kristin Smart’s family hopes guilty verdict in her 1996 murder brings them some closure.
Kristin Smart’s body was found inside the trunk of her Cadillac Escalade parked on a street near where the car had been rented earlier in the day. According to police, Smart was shot once in the head after her killer opened the trunk. The jury heard that Smart was killed after her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Cianciolo, broke into her apartment and assaulted her.
“I’d like it to be justice for my sister and that gives me some peace,” her mother, Susan Smart, said in an interview with ABC News. “I’m hoping it brings closure to us.”
Kristin Smart, a 22-year-old mother of two, was killed on Aug. 31, 1996, by a man who then fled the scene when police arrived.
The victim was the second female in the Midwest area to have been killed by a man she had recently dated and had been dating in the six months before her death.
Susan Smart said her daughter became pregnant and was dating Cianciolo when the relationship ended. Smart said she was devastated by the breakup with Cianciolo and was surprised when he returned to the apartment.
“Daniel was very rude and loud and he talked to Kristin like a mad woman,” Smart said. “She was just devastated.”
Smart said Cianciolo told Smart he had a gun and wanted to buy her a car because she needed transportation.
When Smart refused, he came at her with a hammer, Smart said. Then, Cianciolo opened the trunk of the Escalade and he shot Smart through the face, Smart said.
Smart said her family has endured a lot since the crime was committed nearly 40 years ago. She also acknowledged