Smith and Bradfield
Encyclopedia
Dr. Jay C. Smith was a Pennsylvania
high school
principal who was convicted and sentenced to death
in 1986 for the 1979 murder of Susan Reinert and her two children. He spent six years on Pennsylvania's death row
until his conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court due to prosecutorial misconduct.
Smith was principal of Upper Merion Area High School
in King of Prussia
, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County
, Pennsylvania
. Reinert and her coworker, William Bradfield, were teachers at the same school, where Reinert taught English. In 1983, Bradfield was convicted of conspiracy to commit the same murders, as he was the sole beneficiary of Reinert's life insurance. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and died in 1998. Smith died on May 12, 2009 of a heart condition.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
principal who was convicted and sentenced to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in 1986 for the 1979 murder of Susan Reinert and her two children. He spent six years on Pennsylvania's death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
until his conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court due to prosecutorial misconduct.
Smith was principal of Upper Merion Area High School
Upper Merion Area High School
Upper Merion Area High School is a high school of the Upper Merion Area School District located at 435 Crossfield Road in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania....
in King of Prussia
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
King of Prussia is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 19,936. The community took its name in the 18th century from a local tavern named the King of Prussia Inn, which was named after...
, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Reinert and her coworker, William Bradfield, were teachers at the same school, where Reinert taught English. In 1983, Bradfield was convicted of conspiracy to commit the same murders, as he was the sole beneficiary of Reinert's life insurance. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and died in 1998. Smith died on May 12, 2009 of a heart condition.