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In November 2013, a Roanoke, Virginia resident and mother of two, Jeanne Smith, was brutally murdered by her husband of one month, Michael Iseman, who attributed his unruly conduct to drug abuse and mental health issues. Smith was stabbed and choked to death, and on the same day, her daughter Elisabeth Marie Wood was also attacked but survived and alerted others about the horrific incident.
Iseman, who was arrested not long after, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison in addition to an extra 20 years. He is currently behind bars at the Keen Mountain Correctional Center.
Your Worst Nightmare's latest episode, titled Do You Love Me?, on ID, takes viewers back to November 2013 when Jeanne Smith's murder by her husband, Michael Iseman, made headlines, given the pair had only been married a month before the tragedy.
Jeanne Smith's attacker and husband Michael Iseman suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
According to sources, Michael Iseman weathered a number of psychiatric convictions and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at a young age in his teens. At that point, he began to acquire a taste for drugs, and it was alleged that his heavy cocaine and marijuana usage ruined his first two marriages. He married Jeanne Smith in October 2013, despite his dubious past.
A couple of weeks into their marriage, Iseman was ordered by a court to stay away from the family's residence, given that at the time, Jeanne's daughter, Marie Wood, was looking after her nephew. The order came because of his previous assault conviction.
He went on a crystal meth binge during this period. Because of this, when he saw Jeanne Smith again on November 6. She reportedly informed him about her decision to leave him. That's when he killed her by strangling and stabbing her with a screwdriver. He later went on to stab his stepdaughter Marie 22 times with the same weapon. At the time of the stabbing, Marie was in a different room with her baby nephew.
What happened to Michael Iseman after he attacked his wife and her daughter?
Jeanne Smith's daughter Marie, who survived the brutal attack, was able to reach out for help. Michael Iseman was apprehended and charged with three offenses: attempted capital murder, malicious wounding, and first-degree murder.
Iseman was charged with murder in relation to Jeanne's death in 2014, but the prosecution decided to dismiss the third accusation after he entered a plea of no contest and admitted to the malicious wounding charge. During the court proceedings, he confessed to his crimes, gave a thorough account of the occurrences, and claimed that his conduct resulted from substance abuse.
Although the perpetrator's defense team sought to negotiate a lighter sentence for him by citing his drug usage, mental issues, and lack of criminal intent in the crime, his actions following the attacks provided the prosecution with more than enough evidence. He even attempted to flee in his car and used Jeanne's credit card to buy groceries.
In 2015, Michael Iseman, then 46, was found guilty of the accusations against him and was given a life sentence plus 20 years in prison. To date, he remains imprisoned at the Keen Mountain Correctional Center.
Learn more about Michael Iseman's involvement in his wife's murder on ID's Your Worst Nightmare on October 17, at 8 pm EST.
