Where is Victoria Smith now from Netflix’s I am a Killer?
It's a shocking tale, but how does it end?
Where is she now? You’ll be left with conflicting emotions about it.
Netflix is again adding to the flood of true-crime documentaries that viewers can’t seem to get enough of. The critically acclaimed docu-series I Am A Killer is back for a third season, and the joint Netflix and Crime & Investigation UK series is just as gripping as ever - it’s no surprise it rocketed to the top of the popularity charts. Putting a different slant on investigative proceedings, the series puts the prisoner’s narratives at the forefront of the series - telling a different story each week from a different inmate. The insights from the first-hand storytelling will leave viewers conflicted, and Victoria Smith’s story is no different. Read on to find out where she is now, and answers to other questions the documentary didn’t answer.
We’ve followed up on other notorious criminals featured on true-crime documentaries - we delved into the whereabouts of Hunter Moore now, the revenge porn criminal from Netflix’s The Most Hated Man on the Internet. Moore is a colourful character, much like US software inventor John McAfee who's wild life story is told in new Netflix film Running with the Devil. Interest is also high in where Anthony Templet is now. He was just 17-years-old when he shot his dad Burt Templet in 2019, but there's more to the story than meets the eye in docu-series I Just Killed My Dad.
Where is Victoria Smith now from Netflix’s I am a Killer?
Victoria Smith is currently in prison at the Chillicothe Correctional Center, Missouri. She is serving a life sentence and consecutive 25-year sentence for armed criminal action - both in relation to the murder of her husband Chris Isaac.
Smith pleaded guilty to all charges against her in 2013. She has always maintained her guilt in what happened the day of the murder, and stood behind her confession.
However, when she makes her closing statements at the end of her I Am A Killer episode, she falters over the confession and expresses some doubt over the statement she has always maintained. It is currently unconfirmed if this will impact her case, and whether it will now be reconsidered.
Victoria Smith: Age
Victoria Smith is currently 56-years-old. When Smith began dating Chris Isaac in 2000, she was 34 and he was 30. This would mean Smith was born in 1966, putting her in her late fifties at this time.
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The pair married in 2001, and it's said that Smith came from a series of bad relationships. Initially, her marriage with Isaac was a happy one, until he injured his back in a work accident, and was prescribed opioids. In the period following this incident, it was said that his behaviour towards his wife began to change, eventually resulting in events that took place resulting in his murder.
What did Victoria Smith do?
In 2013, Victoria Smith shot her husband Chris Isaac 18 times and killed him. She admitted to shooting him 6 times in the body, and 12 times to the head.
Immediately afterwards, she called the police and admitted to what she’d done. In her Netflix interview, Smith describes how she went to her kitchen to get some cigarettes, and instead of reaching for them, instead grabbed a gun. She recounts how her husband was sleeping on the sofa, and that “something just told me to end him”. She concludes with “that’s the last I remember”.
The story is more nuanced and has more depth than that. Smith had a difficult childhood, suffering abuse from her alcoholic mother - her father was never identified. This continued into her teenage and adult years, where she entered into several abusive relationships with men. Finding herself pregnant with her son Kenny at the age of 17, and also in an abusive relationship with his father, Smith fled.
By the time she met Chris Isaac, she was said to be suffering severe mental health problems - even sometimes having hallucinations. She also had some degree of learning disability. When Isaac began abusing opioids, he began hurting Smith to the point she broke bones and lived in constant fear of him - she described his behaviour some days as a “madman”. It’s thought that the years of ill treatment she’d suffered pushed her over the edge, and she may not have been totally mentally responsible for her actions.
Watching Season 3 of #IAmAKiller on @NetflixUK Sad story - domestic abuse, guilt, injustice, protecting family, and questions… so many questions! Only just started but love how her sister is fighting for the truth to come out. #victoriasmith pic.twitter.com/L3uL8R8jmbSeptember 1, 2022
Victoria Smith son: What happened to Kenny Smith?
According to pictures shared to Betty Frizzell's - Victoria's sister - Facebook page, Kenny is currently thought to be living rough, and illegally, in Germany. She has also shared videos of herself speaking with German authorities trying to get him back to America.
It remains unknown whether they have been successful in their attempts, or whether he remains in Europe, as she has not recently added any updates regarding this.
Kenny Smith had a difficult relationship with his mother, resulting in her losing custody of him at some points in her life. In the documentary, Smith recalls how when he was born, she thought he was the “best thing ever”, hoping he’d help her turn her life around. Instead, she entered into periods of alcohol dependency, and Kenny’s grandmother was granted custody of him. Smith expressed regret over these times, stating that she should have been there for him more.
Reaching out to his mother to rebuild their relationship, Kenny Smith had recently moved back into the trailer his mother and step dad shared, in the weeks leading up to the shooting. Suffering from schizophrenia, transcripts exist of a phone call Kenny made to police days before the murder, where he admitted to suicidal thoughts, and homicidal thoughts towards his mother and step father. With Victoria Smith’s mental health problems and inability to properly recall events in the aftermath of the shooting, some family members believe Kenny could have been responsible for Chris's death and not Victoria.
Betty Frizzell: What happened to Victoria Smith’s sister?
A former police officer, Victoria Smith’s sister Betty Frizzell works as an author and teacher, additionally campaigning for criminal justice reform and mental health awareness. She currently resides in Seattle.
Her website states that she “escaped her family’s legacy of crime, addiction, and abuse to become a respected law enforcement officer and teacher”. Following her sister’s conviction, she has worked tirelessly to find the truth about what really happened the night Chris Isaac died.
Had an inmate send me a 10 page letter why I am the perfect person to write her story. I am humble beyond words. Remember today's scandalous headlines have real people with real pain attached to it.July 16, 2022
Frizzell has written the book If You Can’t Quit Cryin’, You Can’t Come Here No More, which she says “uncovers sad realities about mental illness, small-town politics, and a society that doesn’t care about ‘poor, white trash’”. She also outlines the theories she has regarding Kenny’s possible part in Isaac’s death.
The book -as well as her activism in the field of justice - continue to garner attention from imprisoned women. The women believe their convictions should also be overturned due to being poorly advocated for.
Related Netflix Features:
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Lucy is a mum-of-two, multi-award nominated writer and blogger with six years’ of experience writing about parenting, family life, and TV. Lucy has contributed content to PopSugar and moms.com. In the last three years, she has transformed her passion for streaming countless hours of television into specialising in entertainment writing. There is now nothing she loves more than watching the best shows on television and sharing why you - and your kids - should watch them.
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