The estranged husband of a Bothell woman who was murdered in February was arrested for obstruction of justice Thursday morning.
“Detectives went up to serve a search warrant to obtain his passport and he refused to turn it over,” said Bothell Police Department spokesperson Cpt. Denise Langford.
Alan Justin Smith was subsequently arrested and transported to the Bothell police station. About seven detective and Bothell Police Department vehicles were on site and yellow police tape was strung across the driveway.
“This is part of the homicide investigation,” said Langford.
Susann Smith, 37, was found murdered in the home in February with defensive wounds on her hands and arms, a fractured skull, 19 separate blunt force strikes and stab wounds to her face and hands, court documents state. She had to be identified by her dental records.
No one has been arrested in connection with the murder but police named Alan Smith a person of interest.
Witness interviews illustrate Alan Smith’s frustration with the couple’s custody battle. Susann Smith had threatened to move back to Germany and take the kids, according to court records.
Bothell police found Susann Smith’s body in the bathtub of her unlocked home with no signs of sexual assault.
Her body was found after her employer, Z2Live, reported that she had not showed up for work.
DNA from the murder scene, along with DNA from a bicycle connected to the crime and matching Alan Smith’s credit card records were taken for testing.
Alan Smith also was reported to have inconsistencies and lied to police during questioning, according to initial search warrant documents. He had searches on his work computer for a flight from Seattle to Simon Bolivar Airport in Venezuela for one adult and two children and did a search for “will Venezuela extradite to the U.S.,” the search warrant documents continue.
He had also discussed how to kill his ex-wife with an ex-girlfriend, she told police in search warrant documents.
Alan Smith moved back into the home in May and has told neighbors that he plans to get his children back, who are being held by Washington State Child Protective services.
Police have been called to the house a total of four times since May 16. The most recent call occurred June 17 when neighbors heard a scream come from the residence. When police arrived they found Alan Smith and his girlfriend in the nude having sex in the front yard of the home. Police warned them of indecent exposure.
