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Anita Smithey's case revolves around the fatal shooting of her estranged husband, Robert Cline III, in Oviedo, Florida, on May 4, 2010. The couple, though separated, maintained a complex relationship involving ongoing contact and sexual encounters. On the night in question, Smithey claimed that Cline arrived at her home uninvited. After consuming alcohol together, they engaged in consensual sex. Subsequently, Smithey alleged that Cline became aggressive, accusing her of infidelity, and proceeded to rape and stab her. In response, she retrieved a .38 caliber pistol from her bedside table and shot him twice, resulting in his death. She then called 911, reporting the incident as self-defense. During the investigation, Smithey admitted to law enforcement that she had inflicted some of her wounds herself, fearing disbelief regarding her self-defense claim. This admission, obtained after she had invoked her right to remain silent, was initially suppressed by the court. However, during her 2015 trial, her defense team introduced a 911 call and expert testimony, which opened the door for prosecutors to present the previously suppressed statements. Consequently, Smithey was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison. In December 2020, an appellate court overturned her conviction, citing ineffective assistance of counsel due to the strategic errors made by her defense team. Facing a retrial, Smithey entered a no-contest plea to second-degree murder in May 2021. She was resentenced to time served—approximately six and a half years—and placed on 10 years of probation. The plea deal was agreed upon by both the prosecution and Cline's family to avoid the trauma of a new trial
