Homicide victim had ‘biggest heart,’ sisters say

The 31-year-old man beaten and choked to death in a Glendale apartment was remembered by his sisters as a man with a big heart involved in nonprofit work to help people who are homeless and incarcerated, as well as women who are pregnant.

John Michael King-Smith died early last Thursday morning after he was beaten in a Glendale apartment on the 200 block of West Windsor Road. Around 2 a.m., police responded to the residence, where he was in medical distress. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly thereafter.

“He’d take his shirt off and give it to you if you were in need,” said his oldest sister Lauren Shy Smith, adding that he made his own music and produced a friend’s gospel album.

King-Smith was involved in fundraisers and food drives for homeless people and pregnant women who had been kicked out of school, frequently spoke to incarcerated youth and headed a non-profit record label, his sisters said.

“He was very motivating,” said his older sister Tonya Jacobs, through tears over the phone.
Both sisters learned of their brother’s death just two days ago from someone’s Facebook post and thought it was a prank.

Jacobs had last spoken with him 10 days ago during a brief phone conversation in which he told her life was good and that he planned to send her some business ideas.

Authorities, Jacobs said, believed her brother was a transient.

“No one tried to notify us,” she said, adding that to her knowledge, he’s always had a stable place to live. “If I knew that was the last time I was going to talk to him, it would’ve been a lot longer than a minute-and-a-half.”

A 32-year-old heiress, Sparkle Soojian, along with her boyfriend, Jared Kasiewicz, 28, were both charged with one count of murder in connection with his death.

Soojian’s friend and co-worker, Courtney Argue, 25, was charged with one count of accessory after the fact of murder.

All three pleaded not guilty this week.

Soojian’s attorney said Thursday that King-Smith broke into her apartment and threatened her before he was killed, but Jacobs didn’t buy it.

“My brother doesn’t break into homes,” Jacobs said. “He was with Sparkle all day.”

Police said Soojian and King-Smith knew each other, but did not reveal how. Soojian’s attorney Daniel Behesnilian declined to comment on their relationship.

Jacobs, however, said King-Smith’s ex-girlfriend was a close friend of Soojian’s.

“I don’t understand why anyone would want to do that to my brother,” Jacobs said. “He had the biggest heart…he didn’t deserve this.”