Anthony Wayne Smith: The Raider Turned Killer
Overview
Anthony Wayne Smith was a formidable presence on the football field, a first-round NFL draft pick who terrorized quarterbacks as a defensive end for the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders. But his life after football took a dark and violent turn, leading him from the gridiron to a prison cell. In 2015, Smith was convicted of the brutal kidnapping, torture, and murder of three men in separate incidents between 1999 and 2001. His crimes, committed just years after his lucrative athletic career ended, revealed a shocking capacity for cruelty that stood in stark contrast to his public persona as a professional athlete. Sentenced to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, the story of Anthony Smith is a chilling chronicle of a celebrated sports figure who became a convicted serial killer.
Early Life and Football Career
Born on June 28, 1967, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Anthony Wayne Smith's early life was marked by the loss of his mother at a young age. He was raised by his older half-brother. Smith showed athletic promise in high school and went on to play college football, first at the University of Alabama before transferring to the University of Arizona, where he was named to the All-Pac-10 team.
His talent was undeniable, and in 1990, the Los Angeles Raiders selected him as the 11th overall pick in the NFL draft. After an injury sidelined him for his rookie season, Smith emerged as a dominant force. Following his third season, he signed a four-year, $7.6 million contract extension. Over his seven seasons with the Raiders, from 1991 to 1997, he amassed 57.5 sacks and was known for his aggressive style of play. However, his career was also marked by periods of turmoil; he was known for a sullen demeanor and was suspended in 1997 after disappearing from the team for a second time. Smith opted out of his contract in 1997 and, after a brief stint with the Denver Broncos, his professional football career ended in 1998.
After retiring, Smith faced other legal troubles. In 2003, he was charged with firebombing a Santa Monica furniture store, allegedly after a dispute with the owner over a consignment item. The case resulted in two deadlocked juries, and a judge ultimately dismissed the charge in late 2004.
The Murders of Kevin and Ricky Nettles
The first of the murders for which Smith would be convicted occurred on November 10, 1999. Brothers Kevin and Ricky Nettles were abducted from their car wash and auto mechanic business in Los Angeles. According to prosecutors and witness testimony, Smith posed as a police officer during the kidnapping, even wearing a badge on his belt. An employee witnessed a man he later identified as Smith, dressed "just like a detective," leading Ricky Nettles away, claiming he was taking him for questioning.
The following day, the brothers' bodies were found. They had been tortured and shot to death. Their heads were wrapped in duct tape, and their bodies were dumped about eight miles apart. The torture was particularly sadistic; both brothers had U-shaped branding burns on their cheeks, and Ricky Nettles had additional burns across his abdomen and feet, some in the shape of a clothing iron. For years, the case went cold, leaving the Nettles family without answers.
The Murder of Dennis Henderson
On June 24, 2001, Smith committed his next known murder. Dennis Henderson was kidnapped in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles by several armed men. Another man abducted with Henderson was later released, but Henderson was not. His body was discovered the next day in the back of a rental car in Watts. He had been severely beaten and stabbed to death. An autopsy revealed that before his throat was slashed, Henderson had been subjected to more than 40 non-fatal stab wounds, indicating he had been tortured before his death. Like the Nettles case, the investigation into Henderson's murder eventually stalled, and it too became a cold case.
The Victims
- Kevin Nettles — November 10, 1999, Los Angeles, California. Along with his brother Ricky, Kevin was kidnapped from the family's car wash business by men posing as police officers. He was a beloved brother and son whose family waited over a decade for justice.
- Ricky Nettles — November 10, 1999, Los Angeles, California. A business owner and family man, Ricky was abducted with his brother Kevin. He was subjected to brutal torture before being murdered, leaving behind his fiancée and two grown children.
- Dennis Henderson — June 24, 2001, Los Angeles, California. Kidnapped and viciously stabbed to death, Dennis was the victim of a crime that remained unsolved for years. Prosecutors later revealed that Smith had lived next door to Henderson's brother in Marina del Rey.
Investigation and Capture
For years, the murders of the Nettles brothers and Dennis Henderson remained unsolved. The break in the cases came from an entirely different investigation. In March 2011, Smith was arrested and charged with the October 2008 murder of Maurilio Ponce, a 31-year-old mechanic. Ponce had been beaten and shot to death along a desert highway in Antelope Valley in what prosecutors described as a business deal gone wrong.
Smith's first trial for the Ponce murder began in March 2012 and ended with a hung jury, with jurors deadlocked 8-4 in favor of guilt. While Smith was in jail awaiting a retrial, cold case detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department re-examined the Nettles and Henderson murders. They re-interviewed witnesses and uncovered new links to the former NFL player. In July 2012, while still in custody for the Ponce killing, Anthony Smith was charged with three additional counts of murder for the 1999 and 2001 slayings.
The investigation into the cold cases revealed damning evidence. A witness identified Smith as the man who posed as a detective to abduct Ricky Nettles. A search of a storage unit belonging to Smith uncovered law enforcement-style clothing and books on how to commit murder, with titles like "Kill Without Joy!" and "Professional Killers: An Inside Look." Police also found zip ties in Smith's possession that came from the same production batch as those used on one of the victims, and rope found on another body was similar to rope he owned.
Trial and Sentence
Prosecutors consolidated all four murder charges into a single trial. They announced they would not seek the death penalty, meaning Smith faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.
The trial began, presenting the jury with the grim details of the three murders. The prosecution laid out the evidence connecting Smith to the kidnappings and torture, highlighting the witness identifications and the items found in his possession. The defense, led by attorney Michael Evans, argued that the evidence was insufficient and circumstantial, pointing to the lack of DNA, fingerprints, or murder weapons directly linking Smith to the crimes. Prosecutors did not offer a clear motive for the killings of the Nettles brothers or Dennis Henderson.
On November 5, 2015, after deliberating for eight days, the jury delivered its verdict. They found Anthony Wayne Smith guilty of three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Kevin Nettles, Ricky Nettles, and Dennis Henderson. The jury also found true the special circumstance allegations of kidnapping, torture, and multiple murders. For the fourth time, a jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the murder of Maurilio Ponce, deadlocking 9-3 in favor of guilt. The judge declared a mistrial on that count.
On January 22, 2016, a judge sentenced Smith, then 48, to three consecutive life sentences in state prison without the possibility of parole. During the sentencing, the judge noted Smith's successful career and said he "threw it all away." Prosecutors later announced they would not retry Smith for the Ponce murder, and the charge was dismissed. Smith's attorney stated his intention to appeal the convictions.
Aftermath and Legacy
The conviction of Anthony Wayne Smith closed a series of cold cases that had haunted three families for over a decade. It also added Smith's name to a notorious list of professional athletes whose lives spiraled into serious violent crime after their careers ended. His case drew comparisons to that of Aaron Hernandez, another former NFL star convicted of murder around the same time. The brutal nature of the crimes—involving torture, branding, and elaborate kidnappings—painted a horrifying picture of a man who once earned millions and the adoration of football fans. The motives behind the murders of the Nettles brothers and Dennis Henderson remain publicly unknown, leaving a disturbing void in the understanding of why a man who seemingly had so much turned to such extreme violence.
