Smith sentenced to life in prison without parole

Roy Thomas "Tommy" Smith

An Etowah county judge Thursday sentenced Roy Thomas “Tommy” Smith to life in prison without parole.  Smith was convicted March 18 of capital murder for killing his wife, Carla Parton Smith.  Carla Smith was found dead Nov. 1, 2010, in the trunk of her blue Jaguar in a gravel lot on Pump Station Road/Brooke Avenue. She had been strangled. Tommy Smith was indicted June 21, 2011, by a grand jury. Prosecutors contended that Tommy Smith killed his wife because she was planning to divorce him and he stood to lose a great deal of money from accumulated assets and life insurance.  Tommy Smith's attorneys argued that he was not responsible for her death and that the prosecution failed to prove its case.  During a hearing June 27, Judge Alan Millican said the death penalty was not an option in this case.  District Attorney Jimmie Harp said he would not seek it because the aggravating circumstance, financial gain, didn't warrant the death penalty.