John Edward Smail, 31, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, was fatally shot on October 18, 2018, at the Vandergrift apartment of his cousin, 35-year-old Ashley Croft. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide; Smail suffered gunshot wounds to the neck, chest, abdomen and right arm. Neighbors reported hearing banging and thuds before the shooting, and one witness said Croft was seen with a gun in the backyard.

Police say Croft admitted to pulling a handgun from her purse and shooting Smail three times. Investigators recovered three spent shell casings and two handguns at the scene. Croft was charged with criminal homicide, denied bail and faced a mandatory life sentence without parole if convicted. Her attorney announced plans to pursue a psychiatric defense; her preliminary hearing was set for October 30, 2018 and trial scheduled for February 10, 2021.

Smail was remembered by friends and colleagues as a hard-working single father and an outgoing, headstrong person.