Katrina Smith: How her husband thought he could get away with murder

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) – Reporter Jim Hagerty takes a deeper look at how Todd Smith killed his wife, Katrina, more than decade ago and attempted to cover it up.

Todd Smith beat 30-year-old Katrina Smith to death with a softball bat on Oct. 22, 2022, in the couple’s Machesney Park home. He then placed her body in the trunk of her car and dumped it in the Rock River in near Obispo Road and Ventura Boulevard.

After disposing of Katrina’s body, Smith left her car and walked back to their home on Tetterhall Lane and cleaned up the crime scene. He then attempted to hide what he’d done in plain sight.

After reporting Katrina missing on Oct. 23, Smith would go on to give a series of bizarre TV interviews, pleading for her to come home.

Smith told police and reporters that he and Katrina were happily married and that she left their home on Oct. 22 to run an errand and didn’t return.

It wasn’t long before Smith’s story fell apart. Katrina’s body was found in November 2012, floating in the river near Byron. A jury convicted Smith in 2017 of first-degree murder and concealment of a homicidal death.

Todd Smith, 57, is now serving a 59-year prison sentence and is eligible for parole in 2069.