Bio

John Clayton Smith was born on March 1, 1962. He grew up in the state of Missouri. Not much is known about his early childhood or family life. However, he later became known for his troubled relationships and difficulties with the law.

In 1995, John began dating Brandie Kearnes. Brandie lived with her mother, Yvonne Kurz, and her step-father, Wayne Hoewing, near Canton, Missouri. During their relationship, John and Brandie made plans to start a life together. John borrowed a significant amount of money to buy a house for them. However, after about two years of dating, Brandie ended the relationship around June 1, 1997.

Following the breakup, Brandie continued living at the Hoewing residence with her mother and step-father. Soon after the breakup, John became increasingly upset and expressed concern about Brandie possibly dating someone else. This emotional turmoil seemed to affect his mental state.

On July 4, 1997, John was seen by a clerk at a convenience store purchasing beer. The clerk noted that John appeared to be in an unusual mood. Later that night, he drove to Brandie's home. He entered the house through a basement door and attacked Brandie in her bedroom.

Murder Story

On July 4, 1997, John Clayton Smith arrived at the home of his ex-girlfriend, Brandie Kearnes, and her stepfather, Wayne Hoewing, late in the evening. He entered the house through the basement door after parking his truck about thirty yards away. Once inside, he removed his shoes to avoid making noise.

Smith went directly to Kearnes's bedroom. There, he attacked her with a knife, inflicting multiple stab wounds. During the struggle, Kearnes managed to escape momentarily but Smith grabbed her again and continued to stab and cut her. In her final moments, she used her own blood to write “It was Joh-” on the kitchen floor. She also tried to leave a message for her father, indicating that he should come to retrieve her infant daughter, Tatum.

After attacking Kearnes, Smith went into Hoewing’s bedroom. Hoewing had been awakened by the commotion. Smith pushed him onto the bed and began stabbing him as well, also inflicting numerous wounds. During this attack, Brandie’s mother, Yvonne Kurz, attempted to intervene but was cut on her forearm. She managed to escape to the bathroom.

Despite his injuries, Hoewing managed to retrieve a gun during the attack. He faced Smith with the weapon, but Smith taunted him, challenging him to shoot. Eventually, Smith left the house, and Kurz was able to call for help.

Emergency responders arrived, but Kearnes was already dead by the time they reached the scene. She was lying on the kitchen floor, having been stabbed eight times. Hoewing was also pronounced dead shortly after the responders arrived, having suffered eleven stab wounds.

Following the murders, Smith attempted to hide the knife used in the attack and fled to a nearby farm where he tried to steal a tractor. After crashing the tractor, Smith stole a truck but was apprehended by police shortly thereafter.

Smith was arrested on the same day as the murders. He did not contest his identity as the killer at trial, and the jury convicted him of two counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He was sentenced to death for each count. Over the years, Smith waived all appeals and expressed a desire to be executed. He was executed by lethal injection on October 29, 2003.