Life Multiple Killers

Waseem Daker became one of Georgia’s most controversial convicted killers after being found guilty in the 1995 murder of Delta flight attendant Karmen Smith and the attempted murder of her five-year-old son in Cobb County. Prosecutors argued that Daker carried out the attack as part of a long-running obsession with Smith’s roommate, Loretta Spencer Blatz, whom he had previously been convicted of stalking. The case drew national attention because of the violent nature of the crime, the lengthy delay before charges were filed, and the later disputes surrounding witness testimony and forensic evidence. The murder remained unsolved for years before investigators revisited DNA evidence collected from the scene. Hair evidence later linked to Daker became a central part of the prosecution’s case, eventually leading to his arrest and conviction more than a decade after the killing. The case later generated additional controversy after key witness Loretta Spencer Blatz partially recanted portions of her testimony following the trial, fueling debate around the conviction and keeping the case heavily discussed in true crime media, legal circles, and online communities.