Army releases name of Fayetteville stabbing victim

Fayetteville woman stabbed to death

U.S. Army Special Operations officials said Thursday a woman stabbed to death in Fayetteville this week was a soldier assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) .

Sgt. Christina E. Smith, 29, was a graphics illustrator in Company A, 5th Battalion, officials said.

Smith was stabbed in the neck while she was walking with her husband, Sgt. Richard D. Smith, near their house on Baxter Street Tuesday night, police said. She died on the way to a local hospital.

Richard Smith was treated at the hospital for minor injuries. Police would not discuss the nature of his wounds.

Police have not named any suspects.

“The husband stated that he somehow turned back around and his wife was being attacked,” Fayetteville Police Department spokeswoman Theresa Chance said.

Richard Smith, a videographer for Psychological Operations, told detectives he ran toward the person stabbing his wife and the person ran away. He said he then ran to a neighbor's house for help.

The Fayetteville Police Department is heading the investigation. Army’s Criminal Investigations Division is assisting in the investigation, Chance said.

Christina Smith, a graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati Ohio, earned awards including the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Korea Defense Service Medal.

Christina Smith arrived at Fort Bragg in April 2006. Her husband came to the base in February that year. An Army spokesperson on Thursday said Richard Smith has served in Iraq but has been home for more than a year.

She is survived by her husband, and her parents, Katherine and Steven Loehrke of Mount Orab, Ohio.



23 Comments


Golo

Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.

You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.

View Comments View Comments

Ask Anything
  1. Nicholas Sparks
    10 questions with Nicholas Sparks

    Author Nicholas Sparks answers your questions about battling writer's block and writing romantic story lines.

  2. John Paul Womble
    10 questions with John Paul Womble - The Alliance of AIDS Services

    John Paul Womble answers your questions about contracting AIDS and myths surrounding the disease.

  3. Cam Ward
    10 questions with Hurricanes' Goalie Cam Ward

    Cam Ward answers your questions about winning the Stanley Cup, superstitions on game days and smack talk on the ice.

Multimedia
  1. 49th Annual WRAL-TV Tower Lighting_01
    49th Annual WRAL-TV Tower Lighting

    WRAL-TV's tower has been changed into a 300-foot Christmas tree, with 2,805 colored lights and three stars on Monday, Dec. 1, 2008.

  2. Drought Map
    A year of N.C. Drought Maps

    View a time lapse animation of drought conditions during the last year.

  3. APTOPIX ROMANIA WEATHER
    The week in photos

    A look at the top news, politics and sports stories of the week through the lenses of Associated Press photographers.

  4. APTOPIX Holiday Shopping
    Gallery: Black Friday shopping

    A look at shoppers across the country on Black Friday.

  5. 2008_American_Music_Awards_Arrivals
    The week in entertainment

    A look at the top entertainment stories this week through the lenses of Associated Press photographers.