On the afternoon of June 10, 2021, Frankie Roland Smith Jr., a 62-year-old White male, was killed in Decatur, Alabama. The shooting took place at Decatur Door Services on Highway 31 South, a business where Mr. Smith was found.
Decatur Police Department officers responded to a shooting call at the address just after 1:30 p.m. Inside the building, they discovered Smith suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was rushed to Decatur Morgan Hospital, but his injury was fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
Also found inside the building was Spencer Newton Harwell, then 44 years old. Investigators identified him as the suspect and arrested him on a charge of murder. He was booked into the Morgan County Correctional Facility on a $150,000 bond.
While investigating the homicide, officers also discovered a trafficking weight of methamphetamine in Harwell's living quarters.
At trial, Harwell claimed he had acted in self-defense, stating that he was forced to shoot Smith after Smith charged at him with a tire iron. However, the Morgan County District Attorney's Office presented evidence that contradicted his assertion. Prosecutors argued that Harwell's claim was not true and that he had manipulated the scene following the shooting.
On October 24, 2025, a jury found Spencer Newton Harwell, then 48, guilty of murder in the death of Frankie Smith. He was also convicted of trafficking in methamphetamines. Following the verdict, Morgan County Circuit Judge Stephen F. Brown sentenced Harwell to 80 years in prison for the murder conviction and 60 years for the trafficking conviction, with the sentences to be served concurrently. As of October 2025, the case is considered closed.
