ORLANDO, Fla. —
Dale Smith Jr., the former fiancé of Michelle Parker, who went missing almost 15 years ago, had his first appearance Thursday at 1 p.m.
A judge ordered Smith to be held without bond pending a detention hearing, which wasn’t immediately scheduled.
>> Video below: Dale Smith Jr.’s first court appearance
Smith Jr. was arrested Wednesday. The Orlando Police Department made the announcement during a news conference.
He is charged with second-degree murder, but State Attorney Monique Worrell said the charges could escalate depending on the evidence. He has since entered a plea of not guilty.
Criminal defense attorney Rajan Joshi, senior partner of Joshi Law, spoke with WESH 2 Wednesday evening, shortly after visiting Smith Jr. at the jail, and said his client is innocent.
“What it looks like to me is that law enforcement had already made the decision very early on that Mr. Smith was the suspect,” Joshi said.
Joshi began representing Smith in November 2011, when Smith was named a person of interest in connection with Parker’s disappearance.
He added that the arrest came out of nowhere, and neither he nor his client were expecting it.
Joshi told WESH 2 that Smith never fled or tried to hide his identity over the years and stayed in the area knowing an arrest was a possibility.
“He maintains his innocence, and we’re going to go forward with defending him,” Joshi said.
After a review of the new evidence, which includes text messages detectives uncovered showing an unhealthy relationship.
Still, Joshi said, “There was nothing in there that made me think that, ‘Oh my god, this is evidence of premeditation.'”
He said it just shows a couple bickering, like lots often do after a breakup.
>> Video below: Dale Smith Jr. taken into custody
>> Video below: Orlando police announce arrest of Dale Smith Jr. during news conference
Details of Michelle Parker’s 2011 disappearance
Parker vanished on Nov. 17, 2011, the same day she and Smith appeared on a taped episode of “The People’s Court” arguing over a lost engagement ring.
She was last known to be alive when she was dropping off her twin children at Smith’s condo near Goldenrod Road and Lee Vista Boulevard in Orlando, police said.
Parker’s Hummer was found on Nov. 18, 2011, in an Orlando parking lot, and sheriff’s divers discovered her iPhone under an Orange County bridge in December 2011.
Smith is the only suspect in the case but was never criminally charged.
Parker’s family has pleaded for answers from Smith’s family. In 2013, Parker’s mother, Yvonne Stewart, asked Tamara Smith, the mother of Dale Smith Jr., to come forward using Crimeline.
Dale Smith Jr. enters plea of not guilty
Smith Jr. and his representation submitted a written plea of not guilty on Thursday.
According to a filing obtained by WESH 2, “the defendant, by and through undersigned counsel, enters this written plea of not guilty to the charge.”
If he is convicted, Smith Jr. could face life in prison.
Police continue to search for Parker’s remains.
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