Florida woman shot dead outside bar in Safety Harbor’s first homicide since 2017
Jessica Antolini, a 30-year-old recruiter, died after being shot in Safety Harbor, Florida, on 13 October. Police say her boyfriend, Christopher Dodge Smith, shot her during an argument outside a bar, then drove away with his five-year-old daughter, who witnessed the killing. The case has shocked the town, which had not recorded a homicide since 2017.
Smith, 40, has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse, the latter relating to his daughter’s alleged exposure to the killing; he has pleaded not guilty. According to a police affidavit, witnesses said he had been searching aggressively for Antolini before the argument moved outside, and the child later told investigators, “Daddy shot Jess.” The girl has stage three brain cancer, according to family fundraisers, and Antolini’s family have described themselves as devastated by her death.
In short
- Jessica Antolini was killed in Safety Harbor on 13 October.
- Her boyfriend is charged with murder and child abuse.
- His five-year-old daughter, who has brain cancer, witnessed the shooting.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Woman living in peaceful town of Safety Harbor met handsome divorcee whose little girl is battling cancer. Then a horrific bloodbath unfolded that saw her become town’s first homicide in a decade, as child wailed with fright”.