Trial of Francis Smith (1804)

Urquhart said she did not believe Smith intended the outcome, but that he still killed someone.

“I don't think he, like, truly meant to do what he did, like, for it all to shake out the way that it did”

Morbid: Phantom Stalkers: The Halifax Slasher and The Hammersmith Ghost (Jul 20, 2026) · Listen from 22:43

Urquhart argued that Millwood's failure to stop gave Smith no justification, since nobody must obey a stranger's order to stop.

“no one has an obligation to stop walking when some stranger tells them to stop walking”

Morbid: Phantom Stalkers: The Halifax Slasher and The Hammersmith Ghost (Jul 20, 2026) · Listen from 23:25

Kelley recounted that Smith's death sentence was commuted after the judge took the case to the king.

“And in the end, Francis Smith was spared the death sentence and instead served one year of hard labor”

Morbid: Phantom Stalkers: The Halifax Slasher and The Hammersmith Ghost (Jul 20, 2026) · Listen from 25:13