Janjira Jeffrey Smith, Who Poisoned Ex-Boyfriend's Jagermeister, Sentenced For Murder

HuffingtonPost.com

July 1, 2013

She spiked her boyfriend's Jagermeister with insectide, killing him and temporarily blinding his new girlfriend. Then she fled the United States for Thailand.

After a three-year extradition battle and several years more of murder hearings, Janjira Jeffrey Smith was brought back to the U.S. and sentenced Friday to 20 years in King County Prison, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Smith, now 56, pleaded not guilty in 2011 to the murder in Redmond, Wash., KOMO news reported. She changed her plea to guilty in May 2013.

In September 2006, Smith's then-boyfriend, Roger Lewis, broke up with her after 18 months together. Smith learned that Lewis planned to marry his new girlfriend, Thanyarat Nina, and she "did not receive this news well," a detective wrote in court documents, according to the Kirkland Reporter.

The next month, Smith had a bottle of Jagermeister delivered to Nina before the couple was planning to go out for dinner. The bottle was spiked with the insecticide methomyl. Lewis drank a full shot, and Nina drank half of one.

Nina lost her vision temporarily and blacked out. Later, a friend found her disoriented in Lewis' apartment. Lewis was face-down on the ground, dead.

Smith immediately flew to Los Angeles and then fled the country, but was extradited by the King County Prosecutor three years later.

Jealous Woman Gets 20 Years for Jagermeister Murder

By Alana Abramson - ABCNews.go.com

July 1, 2013

A Washington woman has been sentenced to prison for 20 years after pleading guilty to murdering her boyfriend with Jagermeister laced with pesticides, court documents show.

Janjira Jeffrey Smith, 56, pleaded guilty this past May to second degree murder and second degree assault for sending ex-boyfriend Roger Lewis and his girlfriend, Thanyarat Sengphrachanh, a bottle of Jagermeister spiked with the insecticide methomyl in 2006.

According to the website of the King County Superior County Court in Seattle, where the trial took place, the sentences on both charges range from 12 to 20 years.

She was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years on June 27, court records show.

Smith sent the bottle of Jagermeister a month after she and Lewis broke following his visit to the Philippines. On his return, Lewis told Smith he had found someone else he wanted to marry, according to court records. She was allegedly distraught over the news and tried to win Lewis back, the records show.

Court records maintain that Smith had called Sengphrachanh and told her Lewis liked to have a drink before dinner and that she would send over a bottle of Jagermeister. Sengphrachanh accepted Smith's offer, and Smith had a friend bring the bottle to Sengphrachanh. Lewis drank a full shot glass of the alcohol, and Sengphrachanh had half a shot glass.

Sengphrachanh, according to court records, immediately began to feel ill, temporarily lost her vision and suffered a stroke.

A friend ultimately found the couple lying in the apartment, and Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators determined the bottle of Jagermeister was laced with the insecticide methomyl. The Environmental Protection Agency has classified methomyl as a Restricted Use Pesticide because it has such high levels of toxicity. According to the EPA, it is most toxic when it is ingested orally.

Sengphrachanh could not be reached for comment.

Less than two weeks after Smith sent the bottle of Jagermeister, she fled the country to the Taiwanese city of Taipei and traveled on to her native country Thailand, court records show.

Smith was arrested in London in 2008 and extradited to the United States in June 2011 to begin her trial, according to court documents. ABC Affiliate KOMO reported in June 2011 that Smith originally pleaded not guilty to the charges, but changed her plea this past spring.

Woman pleads guilty to 2006 murder of Kirkland ex-boyfriend

KirklandReporter.com

May 10, 2013

Janjira Smith pleaded guilty this morning to second degree murder for killing her ex-boyfriend Roger Lewis with insecticide-laced Jagermeister in Kirkland in 2006.

Smith also pleaded guilty to a charge of second degree assault for poisoning a woman who was with Lewis.

The sentence range is between 144 to 244 months in prison. Prosecutors will recommend 244 months when Smith, 58, is sentenced on June 28 at 1 p.m. before Judge Tim Bradshaw at the King County Courthouse, courtroom W-965.

Kirkland poisoning murder case faces 'overwhelmingly complex' complications, defense says

By Peyton Whitely - KirklandReporter.com

August 30, 2011

A murder case involving a 2006 poisoning death in Kirkland is generating massive amounts of paperwork and other complications as it moves through the court process.

The death was of Roger Mitchell Lewis, 56, who was found dead in a Kirkland apartment in the 500 block of Sixth Avenue in October 2006.

An investigation led to first-degree murder charges being filed against Redmond resident Janjira Jeffrey Smith, then 51, and the discovery of what the charges describe as a mystery involving a poisoned liqueur and a five-year investigation ranging through several countries before she was extradited from England over the summer.

Now Smith has a scheduling hearing Sept. 7 in King County Superior Court and also has waived her right to a speedy trial, which normally would have called for her to face her accusers by December.

Instead, her attorney, Gary Davis, of the Seattle-based Associated Counsel for the Accused, has asked for extra help in handling the case and has argued that the matter has become nearly overwhelmingly complex. Davis did not respond to a request for comment, and his attempt to have a second defense attorney appointed by the court later was denied.

But in his request for help, Davis told how the death and subsequent search for Smith has come to involve thousands of documents, hundreds of contacts by investigators and possibly 24 non-law-enforcement witnesses, some of whom speak only the Thai language.

Besides that, there are 18 officers who may be called to testify, he added. "The defense has received the first installment of 900 pages of discovery, along with notice ... there will be approximately several thousand pages forthcoming to be delivered in several banker boxes," Davis said in his filings.

Davis argued that the charges "are largely circumstantial" and there are no eyewitnesses.

"The murder investigation took five years to complete and extended into Oregon, California and ultimately to Thailand," Davis added. It's expected to take "an extensive amount of time" to contact and interview potential witnesses, he continued, and the defense also expects to raise "specific issues" about the collection of crime-scene evidence.

Davis argued that a second attorney would be needed to "keep the case moving forward and allow the defense to be better prepared for trial and for any post-conviction motions, if necessary."

All the legal activity concerns a tangled series of relationships that ended with the death and a poisoning in the fall of 2006.

At the time, according to charging documents, Smith and Lewis had been dating. Smith, who originally was from Thailand, learned that Lewis was planning on meeting another woman, Thanyarat O. Sengpharaghanh, who was known as "Nina." Lewis then had returned from a trip to the Philippines and told Smith that he would be marrying a woman he met during the trip.

"Smith reportedly did not receive this news well," a court affidavit continues.

Smith then contacted Nina and told her that Lewis liked to have a drink before going out and arranged to have a bottle of Jagermeister liqueur delivered to Nina's apartment on Sixth Avenue.

On the night of Oct. 6, 2006, Lewis drank a full glass of the liqueur and Nina drank about a half of a glass, the charges add.

On Oct. 7, emergency crews were called after Nina was found by a friend disoriented and blind at the apartment and Lewis was found lying face down between a couch and coffee table. He was pronounced dead.

Nina was taken to Evergreen Hospital, where it was found she had suffered a stroke from a lack of oxygen. She recovered, and Smith also is charged with first-degree assault for that poisoning.

Laboratory tests found a toxic insecticide known as Methomyl inside the liqueur bottle and the two glasses used by Lewis and Nina. Kirkland detectives then interviewed Smith, who told them she and Lewis had been living together for 18 months.

When detectives later tried to find Smith again, they determined she'd flown first to Los Angeles on Oct. 12, 2006, and then to Taipei, Taiwan. She then went to Thailand and was hunted by U.S. marshals, who arrested her in London in 2008.

Extradition proceedings went on for about two years, and Smith was returned to Seattle in June. She's being held in the King County jail in lieu of $5 million bail. She faces a sentence of life in prison if convicted.

Redmond woman pleads not guilty in the poisoning death of a Kirkland man

KirklandReporter.com

July 6, 2011

A Redmond woman who was extradited from Great Britain last month pled not guilty Tuesday morning to a first-degree murder charge in the poisoning death of a Kirkland man.

A case-setting hearing for Janjira Smith, 56, is scheduled for Sept. 7 in the King County Courthouse, according Dan Donohoe, spokesperson for the King County Prosecutor's Office.

She is being held in King County Jail on $5 million bail for the 2006 crime.

Prosecutors allege Smith killed Roger Lewis, her ex-boyfriend and severely injured Lewis' future fiance, Thanyarat "Nina" Sengpharaghanh after Lewis laced a bottle of Jägermeister with an insecticide, methomyl, the two drank from in a Kirkland apartment in October of 2006.

Sengpharaghanh has recovered from the incident, but a separate charge of first-degree assault was brought against Smith for Sengpharaghanh's injuries. Smith pled not guilty to that charge also.

Smith had been in an 18-month relationship with Lewis, who took a trip to the Philippines and met Sengpharaghanh. Upon his return to Kirkland, he informed Smith he was going to marry Sengpharaghanh, according to court documents.

"Smith reportedly did not receive the news well," charging papers said.

Smith repeatedly begged for Lewis to take her back with no results.

Smith contacted Sengpharaghanh in October of 2006 and told her that Lewis liked to drink alcohol. Smith said that she would send over a bottle of Jägermeister with a friend and urged the woman to have Lewis drink the alcohol before they went out that night and to have a good time.

A friend Sengpharaghanh's had reportedly told her that the bottle might be poisoned. Later that night, Sengpharaghanh poured Lewis a full shot glass of the alcohol and he drank the contents. The woman also had a smaller amount of the alcohol, according to the Kirkland Police Department's investigation.

The woman told investigators that she immediately felt ill, lost her sight and blacked out. The two victims were found the next day by a friend. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene and Sengpharaghanh was taken to the hospital. The woman was diagnosed with having a stroke from lack of oxygen to the brain and was temporarily blind.

Smith told police that she purchased the bottle of alcohol at a Redmond liquor store and had opened it and stored it in her freezer prior to the incident.

After being contacted by police, Smith flew to Los Angeles in order to locate an attorney should she be arrested.

The woman subsequently flew to Thailand with tickets purchased for her by her daughter.

Smith was arrested in Great Britain in 2008 for the murder and has fought the extradition ever since.

Redmond woman extradited from Great Britain, charged with poisoning death of Kirkland boyfriend

By Matt Phelps - KirklandReporter

June 20, 2011

A Redmond woman was extradited from Great Britain last week and charged with first-degree murder in the poisoning death of a Kirkland man.

Janjira Smith, 56, is being held in King County Jail on $5 million bail for the crime.

Prosecutors allege Smith killed Roger Lewis, her former boyfriend and severely injured a woman using an insecticide, methomyl, to poison a bottle of alcohol the two drank from in a Kirkland apartment in 2006.

The other woman involved in the poisoning has recovered from the incident, but a separate charge of second-degree assault was brought against Smith for the woman's injuries.

Smith had recently been in an 18-month relationship with Lewis, who took a trip to the Philippines and met another woman. Upon his return to Kirkland, he informed Smith he was going to marry the other woman, according to court documents.

"Smith reportedly did not receive the news well," charging papers said.

Smith repeatedly begged for Lewis to take her back with no results.

Smith contacted the woman in October of 2006 and told her that Lewis liked to drink alcohol. Smith said that she would send over a bottle of Jägermeister with a friend and urged the woman to have Lewis drink the alcohol before they went out that night and to have a good time. A friend of the female victim had reportedly told her that the bottle might be poisoned.

Later that night the woman poured Lewis a full shot glass of the alcohol and he drank the contents. The woman also had a smaller amount of the alcohol, according to the Kirkland Police Department's investigation. The woman told investigators that she immediately felt ill, lost her sight and blacked out.

The two victims were found the next day by a friend. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman was taken to the hospital. The woman was diagnosed with having a stroke from lack of oxygen to the brain and was temporarily blind.

Smith told police that she purchased the bottle of alcohol at a Redmond liquor store and had opened it and stored it in her freezer prior to the incident.

After being contacted by police, Smith flew to Los Angeles in order to locate an attorney should she be arrested. The woman subsequently flew to Thailand with tickets purchased for her by her daughter.

Smith was arrested in Great Britain in 2008 for the murder and has fought the extradition ever since.

Arraignment is set for July 5 at King County Superior Court.

Kirkland poisoning suspect in 2006 case arrested in London

KirklandReporter.com

December 8, 2008

A prime suspect on the lam in a notorious 2006 Kirkland murder has been captured abroad, according to the U.S. Marshal’s Service.

Murder suspect Janjira “Jenny” Jeffrey Smith, 51, was detained by United Kingdom Customs and Immigration in London, England Dec. 4 for the poisoning death of local resident Roger Lewis, shortly after arriving on a flight from Geneva, Switzerland. The arrest was made based on cooperative agreements between Interpol and the U.S. Marshals Service sponsored Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force (PNWFAT).

King County Superior Court first issued an arrest warrant for Smith in November 2006 for the murder of Lewis on October 7, 2006. Kirkland Police believe Smith poisoned both Lewis and his girlfriend, Thanyarat Sengpharaghanh (aka Nina), with a tainted bottle of Jagermeister. Lewis had recently ended a romantic involvement and the victim began a new relationship with Nina.

Both immediately fell ill and Lewis was later pronounced dead at the scene, while Nina made a full recovery.

Believing that she had fled to her native country of Thailand, KPD Detectives requested the assistance of PNWFAT investigators. They were able to determine that Smith had indeed fled to Thailand, and began the process to have her extradited back to Washington State to face the criminal charges against her. Smith, a native of Thailand, is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

“For the past two years, everyone involved in this case have worked diligently to locate and apprehend Smith, and bring this cold blooded killer back to Washington to face justice”, said U.S. Marshal Joe Hawe of the Western District of Washington. A hearing regarding Smith’s detention was held Dec. 5 in the United Kingdom and Smith will now face formal extradition proceedings there.

The Kirkland Police Department has worked for the past two years with a number of law-enforcement agencies in order to bring Smith to justice, including the Department of Justice–Office of International Affairs, the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the U.S. Marshals Service International Investigations Branch and various authorities in Thailand.

“It is unknown why Smith was traveling to England, but within the past few months, we have come very close to apprehending Smith in Thailand, and she may have been attempting to flee Thailand in order to avoid apprehension on this charge”, said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Tom Lanier.

The PNWFAT is a U.S. Marshals-sponsored partnership comprised of investigators from the King County Sheriff’s Office, Seattle Police Department, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Washington State Department of Corrections, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Task Force is supported by the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative and was formed to concentrate apprehension efforts to remove federal, state and local fugitives from the streets. The Task Force objective is to disrupt illegal gang, gun and drug activity in the Northwest.

Janjira Smith
(Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)