What Happened To Mary Jane Fonder

On January 23, 2008, Rhonda Smith was found face down in an office at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Springfield Township, Pennsylvania. Watch Philly Homicide On Saturdays on Oxygen and Peacock. Smith, 42, had been shot twice. Judy Zellner, BloodVitals review an in depth good friend of the victim, BloodVitals experience stumbled upon the horrifying scene when she arrived at 12:30 p.m. Zellner’s frantic 911 call can be heard in the "Sinner and Saint" episode of Philly Homicide, airing Saturdays at 9/8c p.m. "She’s useless," Zellner informed the dispatcher. "There’s blood throughout her head and round her head." But when paramedics arrived, BloodVitals insights they'd discovered that Smith was still clinging to life, and she was rushed to the hospital. Who was Rhonda Smith? Investigators discovered that Smith had been a member of the church for BloodVitals SPO2 two years. The pastor and congregation had embraced her, BloodVitals monitor and she’d recently taken an element-time job there. "She could not handle a full-time job on the church," stated Zellner.



Smith's psychological well being impacted her profession. "Rhonda had a ardour for educating. She had a ardour for youngsters," Deanna Durante, a reporter for Philadelphia-primarily based WCAU, said on Philly Homicide. Smith pursued teaching in faculty. "But bipolar received to her right at the last semester, and she by no means graduated," mentioned Zellner. Smith yearned for independence and moved into her personal house. Money was tight. She shared with church pastor Greg Shreaves that she was having trouble paying her bills. The pastor rallied members of the congregation to help. "Some of us gave her money and some gift cards, they usually put it in a Christmas card," mentioned Zellner. "Three days before Rhonda Smith was discovered, she stood in front of her congregation and thanked them for all of the assistance they had given her," stated Durante. Pennsylvania State Troopers processed the scene. They collected bullet fragments that would assist decide the form of gun the shooter used.



"The police additionally took possession of the workplace computer for an skilled to do a forensic analysis," stated David W. Zellis, who was then a first Assistant District Attorney in the Bucks County DA's Office. As troopers interviewed church members, the topic of suicide came up. The fact that Smith was shot twice didn’t mechanically rule that out. But there was no gun at the scene, which led to extra questions. "Detectives asked me, did I kick a gun, did I see a gun, did I cover a gun? Several hours after the capturing, Smith’s dad and mom made the tough choice to end life support. "We circled round her, BloodVitals review holding palms," Zellner instructed Philly Homicide. What had been the outcomes of Rhonda Smith's autopsy? Smith had been shot twice. "One was a glancing wound to her head, and the opposite one had penetrated her skull," said Richard Webb, Jr., who was then a lieutenant with the Pennsylvania State Police. The forensic pathologist noticed gunpowder stippling on Smith’s forehead and on her hand.



The evidence indicated that she raised her hand in a defensive position. The evidence ruled out suicide and Smith's loss of life was categorized as a homicide. From the bullet fragments, investigators determined that the murder weapon was a .38 caliber gun. Investigators developed a concept of the crime. "The first gunshot would have stunned or knocked down Rhonda," stated Webb. When they analyzed the church pc, detectives noticed that Smith logged on at 9:40 a.m. 10:Fifty eight a.m. She was discovered at 12:30 p.m. Troopers decided the murder to have occurred at around 11 a.m. Investigators centered on Smith’s close circle, together with Pastor Shreaves. He’d been out of city at a conference for 3 days. Being away "ruled out the chance that he might have been concerned," mentioned Webb, adding that Shreaves knew his parishioners higher than anyone. A one-time person of interest was a man who confirmed up at the church on a pair occasions. "He said to certainly one of our parishioners, BloodVitals tracker ‘This would be an excellent place to rob,’ so we have been slightly skeptical," said Zellner.