Massachusetts woman guilty in Charlotte County deputy's death, jury decides

Stacey Henson, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read
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A Charlotte County jury convicted on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Cassandra D. Smith, 31 of Lakeville, Massachusetts, in the death of Deputy Christopher Taylor, 23, in November 2022, when he had pulled over another driver and was on the side of Interstate 75 talking to him. She tested more than three time the legal limit for drunken driving.
A Charlotte County jury convicted on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Cassandra D. Smith, 31 of Lakeville, Massachusetts, in the death of Deputy Christopher Taylor, 23, in November 2022, when he had pulled over another driver and was on the side of Interstate 75 talking to him. She tested more than three time the legal limit for drunken driving.

A Charlotte County jury convicted on Friday a drunken driver who hit and killed a deputy on Interstate 75 last year.

Cassandra D. Smith, of Lakeville, Massachusetts, faces sentencing Feb. 1 for driving under the influence of alcohol and causing the death of Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Christopher Taylor. Taylor's parents live in Naples and Cape Coral.

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The jury returned the verdict after a four-day trial.

“I am very happy with the verdict," said Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell in a news release. "We are another step closer to getting justice for Chris."

The crash happened at 8:44 p.m. Nov. 22, 2022. Taylor, 23, was conducting a traffic stop on I-75, near mile marker 163. He was standing in front of his patrol vehicle, a Ford Explorer SUV, with the emergency lights activated.

The Honda Civic he stopped was parked on the shoulder of the interstate, on the grass. Taylor and the citizen, a Punta Gorda man, were standing between the vehicles.

Witnesses indicated that a Jeep Wrangler traveled across three lanes of traffic and rotated clockwise toward the roadside. Smith’s Jeep slammed into the parked patrol car, causing both vehicles to rotate and hit Taylor and the other driver.

Taylor died at ShorePoint Hospital, in Punta Gorda, an arrest affidavit says, days after he proposed to his fiancee. The other driver was injured.

A responding Florida Highway Patrol trooper noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Smith. Smith’s blood-alcohol level was .258, more than three times the legal limit of .08.

Law enforcement confiscated four empty bottles of alcohol. That specific alcohol was found under the Jeep and a straw in the can tested as evidence and confirmed to have the defendant’s DNA on it.

“The defendant’s decision to drive under the influence of alcohol with a blood-alcohol limit three times the legal limit ended the life of a man who dedicated himself to serving and protecting our community,” said State Attorney Amira Fox.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Charlotte County jury returns guilty verdict in drunken deputy killing