D.A. MARIE BRODER ANNOUNCES GUILTY PLEA

 April 26, 2023

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On April 13, 2023, in Fayette County Superior Court, Christopher Anthony Smith pled guilty to Aggravated Child Molestation, Child Molestation, False Imprisonment, Aggravated Assault and Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Superior Court of Fayette County. The Honorable W. Fletcher Sams sentenced Smith to life imprisonment followed by 20 years of probation. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Warren Sellers.

Had the case gone to trial, the State was prepared to show that during September, October and early November of 2022, a mother and her 9-year-old daughter were living with the Defendant in Fayetteville, Fayette County, Georgia. On the morning of November 6, 2022, the mother came home from work to find the Defendant in bed with the 9-year-old child. Both were naked. The child was frightened. When the mother went to call 911, the Defendant became angry and took her phone away. She left the residence, and he went outside and forced her back inside. He then grabbed a knife and lunged toward her with it. She moved but received a puncture wound in the arm. Deputy Sheriffs of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office responded to the neighbor’s call. Upon their arrival, the mother begged them to help her, and her daughter, get away from the Defendant. The child then came to the door shaking in fear. Both

mother and her daughter exited the residence.

The Defendant grabbed a butcher knife and threatened law enforcement that if anyone came inside they would be killed. The Defendant then barricaded himself in the home. After several hours, law enforcement officers were able to remove the knife from the Defendant and take him into custody.

Detective Taweyla Wilson of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. She searched the Defendant’s phone pursuant to a search warrant and discovered images which revealed that on several different occasions the Defendant had forced the child to perform oral sex.

Sellers said the following about the case, “the sentence was appropriate considering the Defendant’s violent attack on the mother and the child, his threat of attack on law enforcement officers and the fact that the child will most likely suffer the negative effects of the Defendant’s abuse for the rest of her life.”

DA Broder also stated, “my offices will continue to aggressively pursue those that pray on innocent children. Their deplorable behavior will not be tolerated.