Murder suspect to return to state
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MUGS: E. Smith C. Smith: Houston County officials believe Edward Smith, 26, strangled his wife, Cindy Smith, 25, somewhere along this Mayville Township road north of Caledonia on Nov. 26. Edward Smith was arrested in Wyoming early Monday. Houston County officials believe Edward Smith, 26, strangled his wife, Cindy Smith, 25, somewhere along this Mayville Township road north of Caledonia on Nov. 26. Edward Smith was arrested in Wyoming early Monday.
CALEDONIA -- A 26-year-old man accused of strangling his wife on a gravel road near Caledonia waived extradition to
Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon and could be back in Houston County by Friday.
Edward Arthur Smith, formerly of rural Spring Grove, was arrested in Rock Springs, Wyo., early Monday at a motel where he had been staying for about three weeks. He was charged with second-degree murder in Houston District Court in Caledonia on Monday in connection with the death of his wife, Cindy Carol Smith, 25. Authorities say he has confessed to the Nov. 26 killing.
After his extradition hearing Tuesday, Houston County authorities have 10 days to pick up Smith from Rock Springs, in southwestern Wyoming.
Houston County sheriff's officials drove to Rock Springs on Tuesday and were expected to pick up Smith late this morning, according to a Sweetwater County, Wyo., Sheriff's Department official. It's possible that Smith will be taken first to Missouri so he can show officials where he said he threw his wife's body two days after he strangled her.
Cindy Smith's grandmother, Adella Olafson of Caledonia, said Tuesday she last saw her granddaughter during the Thanksgiving holiday and she seemed happy. ``I have 30 grandkids, so I've got a little bit of love for every one of them,'' she said. ``She was one of my favorite ones, whenever she was around.''
The family is holding together, she said. Smith's mother, Arlene Larson of Caledonia, is relying on family and her religious faith to make it through the tragedy, she said. Olafson added she didn't know Edward Smith very well.
According to the criminal complaint, Smith said he strangled his wife on a Mayville Township road, just off Minnesota 44 north of Caledonia, after they got into an argument at the Ranch Bar in Caledonia. His wife had asked for an annulment because she couldn't have children, according to the complaint.
Cindy Smith's glasses were found along the gravel road, and her wedding rings were in Edward Smith's possession at the time of his arrest.
Smith was missing nearly six weeks before his arrest. Descriptions of him and his car were listed through the National Crime Information Center, said Commander Dick Blust of the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Department. Edward Smith was listed as a missing person, believed to be dangerous and a possible homicide suspect. His wife was listed as missing, believed to be a homicide victim, he said.
An observant Sweetwater County deputy helped cracked the case, Blust said. Deputy Jim Demas, a veteran of about 20 years, was on patrol near the Thunderbird Motel in Rock Springs and noticed only one car in the parking lot. It was in front of a room with its lights on. ``At 2:51 in the morning, it struck him as rather odd,'' Blust said.
Demas checked the car's Minnesota license plate and found it was listed by the national crime center. He called for two other officers and they went in to talk with Smith. He soon confessed to the murder, authorities said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.@et
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