A federal inmate has been convicted for the murder of another prisoner at FCI Otisville, as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced. The convict, Daniel V. Smith, was judged guilty of first-degree murder by a jury and is set for sentencing on December 4, where he faces a mandatory life sentence.
The incident took place on October 26, 2021, where according to the announcement by the U.S. Attorney's office, Smith attacked a fellow inmate by swinging a lock tied to a belt, this action resulted in head injuries so severe that they cracked open the victim's skull. "Daniel V. Smith murdered a fellow inmate in cold blood at FCI Otisville by brutally beating him in the head with a lock tied to a belt," Clayton stated.
The victim, who has not been named, sustained traumatic brain injury from the attack and consequently fell into a vegetative state. The injuries were fatal, and the inmate died. The assault was reportedly carried out by Smith as a tactic to secure a transfer to a different housing unit. Smith, 65, was already serving a sentence for a previous assault that took place during an earlier period of incarceration in 2013.
Smith’s conviction was secured through the coordinated efforts of federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies, including the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force. Mr. Clayton expressed appreciation to the staff of FCI Otisville and acknowledged the investigative work that contributed to Smith’s apprehension and conviction. The case was handled by the Office’s White Plains Division, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin L. Brooke, Shaun E. Werbelow, Benjamin D. Klein, and Jeffrey C. Coffman, with support from Paralegal Specialist Jackie Fleury.
