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- [00:01]
Jed Lipinski
Every week on the Moth podcast we share stories that are funny, strange, heartbreaking and above all, true.
- [00:08]
Dale Broussard
I myself have been married for 56 years, unfortunately to four different women. You can work out a whole lot of in the aisles of Target.
- [00:23]
Jed Lipinski
Follow and listen to the Moth on.
- [00:24]
Suzanne Reed
The free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [00:32]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Everyone knows that when you're wearing a great outfit and you look good, you feel good. But there's one problem with that. Buying high quality merchandise is really expensive and no one wants to break the bank just for clothes. But now there's a way around that with Quints. With Quints, I get high end, versatile pieces at prices I can actually afford. Quince has all the must haves like Mongolian cashmere sweaters from $50, iconic 100% leather jackets and comfortable pants for every occasion. And the best part? All Quint's Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They do this by partnering directly with top factories, cutting out the cost of the middleman and passing the savings onto you. And Quints only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices along with premium fabrics and finishes. Now that's something we should all be on board with. As I've mentioned before, Quince's Mongolian cashmere sweaters have helped me get through the winter in style. For the last few months, I've been wearing their signature cashmere beanie almost every time I step outside. You may be surprised to hear this, but my closet contains very few luxury brands. In fact, the number is zero. So these Quint's products have given it a serious upgrade at a price I can afford. So don't settle for cheap knockoffs. Indulge in affordable luxury. Go to quint.com gonesouth for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com gonesouth to get free shipping and 365 day returns quince.com gonesouth at the end of the last episode, Detectives, with the help of paralegal Mary Jane Marcantel, intercepted a letter Joey Smith had written to his former farmhand, a young man named Albert Lavallee, and the guys.
- [02:33]
Dale Broussard
Call me at 4:00 in the morning time and tell me you're not going to believe this. We've got a letter.
- [02:41]
Mary Jane Marcantel
The letter pressured Albert to kidnap his older brother to prevent him from testifying at Joey's upcoming drug trial. If he refused, Joey warned he would implicate Albert in a pair of murders, for which he would likely receive the death penalty.
- [02:57]
Dale Broussard
And there are two murders that are mentioned not by name, just two murders that they would have been involved in.
- [03:06]
Mary Jane Marcantel
When detectives called Albert in for questioning, he shocked them by admitting that he'd helped facilitate the murder of Joey's second wife, Sheila, in exchange for $50,000. He said he'd procured the murder weapon, given Joey an alibi, and disposed of Sheila's jewelry to make the murder scene look like a burglary. But the next day, just before he was hooked up to a polygraph machine, he made an even more shocking confession. Albert claimed that he was the one who pulled the trigger and that Joey had put him up to it.
- [03:40]
Dale Broussard
And Broussard goes, you did what? He goes, I killed Sheila. And Broussard, the suave cop he was, bends over almost in two and says, you did what?
- [03:54]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Mary Jane wasn't present for Albert's confession, but when she heard what Albert said, she was just as shocked as the detectives. It was the biggest break in the case yet, and it spelled serious trouble for Joey Smith.
- [04:09]
Dale Broussard
So now they got two people on a murder for hire. They have him confessing to it, it's on tape. And now we've gone from a drug case to a murder for hire of Sheila with lock cinch evidence.
- [04:28]
Mary Jane Marcantel
After confessing to the murder, Albert had proceeded to tell investigators exactly what he'd done, providing details only the killer would know.
- [04:38]
Dale Broussard
The house was a brand new house. They just moved into it, so it's not like a lot of people had been in the house, but he was their farm hand, so he's going to be one of the few people that knew about the house. A lot of people had not been there.
- [04:54]
Mary Jane Marcantel
On the morning of the murder, Albert said that Joey had handed him a.38 caliber pistol and a milk carton full of Sheila's jewelry with instructions on where to bury it. Joey had then driven to a nearby town to buy his and Sheila's 11 year old daughter a swing set for her birthday. Albert said Joey had offered him $50,000 for the job, but Joey had paid him only the first 10,000. Suzanne Reed, the sister of Joey's third wife Angie, learned about the confession shortly after married Jane.
- [05:27]
Dale Broussard
She said, go to the back door and I'll hand it to you. She had evidently just gotten out of the shower. Her head was wrapped up in a towel. She had on a robe. She opened the door and he had a gun and he shot her from the face down. Five bullets. She fell backwards with the flashlight in her hand and no one Understood why she had a flashlight in her hand at that time. So when he said, this is what I did and could talk about the flashlight, then, I mean, it's good evidence. It's not something you can really defend against.
- [06:09]
Suzanne Reed
So, you know, here he is, now my sister's gone, and now he's confessing to a murder prior to my sister's disappearance. So that was quite a break for sure.
- [06:23]
Mary Jane Marcantel
At the time of Albert's confession, Joey Smith was in jail in Lafayette awaiting trial on cocaine trafficking charges. A week later, a grand jury indicted both Albert and Joey on first degree murder charges in the killing for hire of Sheila Smith. It was a huge achievement, one set in motion by Mary Jane's relentless commitment to getting justice for Angie, who disappeared without a trace more than two years earlier. But in his confession, Albert had made no mention of Angie, and Joey wasn't talking. The question now was, would this new development get Suzanne and her mother any closer to understanding what happened to her? I'm Jed Lipinski. This has gone south. Suzanne had heard Albert Lavallee's name a few times during Mary Jane's investigation, but it wasn't until the murder confession that she learned who he really was and the nature of his relationship to the Smith family. In 1985, the year he killed Sheila, Albert was just 19 years old and very much under the influence of Joey Smith.
- [07:35]
Suzanne Reed
It was told to us from law enforcement and others that pretty much his entire family, himself, his mom, his dad, his siblings, they had all in some capacity, worked for the Smith family. His mother was the Smith family maid. His dad did farm work for them. Joey was quite a bit older than him. So at the point that he confessed, I believe Albert was maybe 25, 26, and Joey was going to be like around 40 at this point. We could immediately see imbalances in this relationship. The other big influence was we're talking 1960s, 70s and 80s for this family. A black family in the Deep south working for a very wealthy white family. So it's kind of like the white family that pays you, has all the power because you. Well, her whole family could lose your jobs if they get upset with you.
- [08:32]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Suzanne learned that from a young age, Albert had referred to Joey as par ran a Cajun French term for godfather. In Cajun culture, the term signifies a deep familial bond.
- [08:45]
Suzanne Reed
It's a very special title. So, you know, for him, to call him that, to look up to him like a godfather, it's like you could just see the power that Joey had.
- [08:56]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Over him from the start. Of her investigation. Mary Jane suspected Albert had some knowledge of what happened to Angie. His confession to killing Sheila only strengthened that suspicion.
- [09:09]
Dale Broussard
I've always said this, if you have been killing people, you don't go out on the open market just trying to hire an employee to come in and murder someone. You're going to keep those same people around you that are involved in your criminal conduct.
- [09:26]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Mary Jane hoped the district attorney handling Albert's murder for hire case would be open to a deal. If Albert agreed to testify against Joey and reveal the location of Angie's body, for example, could he get his charge reduced from murder to manslaughter? Mary Jane conveyed her wishes to the lead prosecutor, Albert's court appointed attorney, and even some of Albert's family members. She heard rumors that a plea deal was in the works.
- [09:52]
Suzanne Reed
But then all of a sudden he just clammed up and said, I'm not going to testify against him. I'm not going to tell you anything else. I'm not going to talk. I'm just going to go to trial. And he refused to say anything else about Joey.
- [10:08]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Albert's reluctance to testify against Joey was a setback for the prosecution. Still, his confession had been captured on video and it would be played for the jury. And in the meantime, Joey was facing a possible life sentence on cocaine trafficking charges. As we mentioned in the first episode, Angie, in the months before she disappeared, had given her mother an address book that belonged to Joey. In it, detectives had found a list of drug dealers Joey was acquainted with. The book had played a key role in the FBI's investigation. When the drug trial finally arrived, Suzanne and her mother were ready.
- [10:47]
Suzanne Reed
My mother was going to testify because she had the little black address book with all the drug dealer names in it. She was going to testify how she got that and how she gave it to the police. So we go through jury selection, which took a couple of days, and at the end of jury selection, the prosecutor said, you know, okay, tomorrow's trial day, and to my mother, you're my first witness. We're ready to go. Let's see some justice.
- [11:17]
Mary Jane Marcantel
On the first day of the trial, however, Suzanne and her mother arrived at the courthouse to discover the trial was canceled. Joey had pleaded guilty to a single charge, conspiracy to possess cocaine, and gotten a 12 and a half year sentence. In exchange, Suzanne and her mother were disappointed, but it was a step in the right direction. They turned their attention to Joey and Albert's murder trials. If you're looking for another investigative story with roots in a specific region, then check out the brand new podcast Snitch City. Produced by the Boston Globe's award winning Spotlight team. Heading up North, Snitch City brings you inside the secret world of police informants through one small city at the forefront of America's drug war, New Bedford, Massachusetts. Over the last two decades, the 250 member New Bedford Police Department has been the poster child for informant misconduct, lies, deception, cover ups of COVID ups, and in the last few years alone, officers have fabricated tips, carried on sexual relationships with informants, and even coaxed them to lie in court. Featuring never before told cases, Snitch City investigates how officers have exploited the secrecy of the informants system to enrich themselves, break laws, protect drug dealers and attack perceived enemies, all with impunity. Tune in before the whistle is blown. Follow Spotlight Snitch City on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.
- [12:56]
Soraya
Some people play it safe, but that's never been my style. I'm Soraya and this is Rule breakers, the podcast where we celebrate the rebels, the misfits, and the ones who make their own way. Every week I sit down with athletes, entertainers and industry disruptors who don't just push the boundaries now, they shatter them. We talk about the wildest risks they've taken, the lessons they've learned, and the moments that made them who they are. No filters, no bs, just real talk of people who refuse to follow the script. And we don't just talk about breaking the rules now we prove it. Think dog shot collars, bug trivia, blindfold tattoos and text roulette. The stakes are high and the chaos is real. So if you've ever been told to stay in your lane, this show is for you. Follow and listen to Rule breakers with Saraya, an Odyssey podcast, available now for free on the Odyssey app and wherever you get your podcasts.
- [13:56]
Nourish Representative
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- [14:37]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Albert and Joey were tried separately for the murder of Sheila Smith. Albert's trial came first. Suzanne and her mother were in the courtroom every day. But in Suzanne's view, the outcome was a foregone Conclusion.
- [14:51]
Suzanne Reed
You know, I am in no way, shape or form defending murder because you always have a choice, no matter what your circumstances are. But there are circumstances, right? So we're talking about a guy, a black man, who at the time he committed the murder was 19 years old and really under the control of Joey Smith. All your jury. There's like, I can't remember if there were any black people on the jury. I mean, there might have been one. So you've got this white jury of older people. You've got two, in my opinion, completely incompetent court appointed defense attorneys. I mean, I almost felt sorry for him.
- [15:35]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Poor defense or not, the fact remained that Albert had confessed to shooting Sheila five times. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding him guilty of first degree murder. The next day, they unanimously recommended the death penalty. Joey's murder trial was up next, but unlike Albert, he had the means to hire one of the best defense attorneys in the state who succeeded in getting the trial postponed. This left Mary Jane and Angie's family in a holding pattern. With Albert on death row and unwilling to speak, Mary Jane went in search of other potential witnesses to Angie's disappearance. As she was doing so, a witness reached out to her. The man explained that he'd been locked up with Joey in Memphis a few years earlier. One day, they'd gotten to talking about his third wife, Angie. According to the witness, Joey claimed that shortly before she disappeared, angie had stolen $14,000 out of a safe he kept at home. The theft had enraged him. As a result, Joey said Angie would never be found and would never show up. Mary Jane had heard versions of this story before. Joey had told various family members that Angie had stolen money from him and run off with another guy. Mary Jane didn't give it a lot of credence, but the cellmate's story substantiated what Mary Jane already believed. That Joey knew where her body was and he would never tell. Then, months before Joey's murder trial was set to begin, Mary Jane got another lead. This one had some weight to it. Mary Jane was having lunch with some attorneys when one of the prosecutors in Joey Smith's case walked in and sat down at a nearby table.
- [17:22]
Dale Broussard
And so I got up from the table and walked over to say something to the prosecutor to ask him if he was ready for the trial. And he said, yeah. He asked me if I was planning on coming.
- [17:35]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Mary Jane said yes, she and Angie's family would be there. At that moment, a young man sitting next to the prosecutor spoke up. He was a sheriff's deputy whose job occasionally involved transporting inmates from the local jail to court and back. The deputy said that two years earlier, he and a U.S. marshal had transported Albert Lavallee back to jail from a court hearing. When they stopped for gas, Albert had said something interesting.
- [18:03]
Dale Broussard
He told us that he knew where the girl from Baton Rouge was buried. I was shocked. I said, excuse me. And he said it again, but he said it more tentatively, as if maybe he had said something wrong. And so I looked at the people sitting around the table, one of which was a prosecutor that would be doing the upcoming trial of Joey Smith. And I said, y'all, do not forget this conversation. Where it took place, when it took place.
- [18:38]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Mary Jane could hardly believe what she just heard. Two years earlier, in the presence of a deputy and a U.S. marshal, Albert Lavallee had admitted to knowing where Angie Smith's body was buried. It was the first time Mary Jane had heard this story. She scheduled a sit down interview with the deputy the next day.
- [18:58]
Dale Broussard
And so I sat down, and he did a very explicit description of what occurred. Without getting into a lot of details, he could tell me where they were sitting in the car, where they were at the gas pump, all these very good specifics, which means to me, his story about what occurred makes it very credible.
- [19:19]
Mary Jane Marcantel
According to the deputy, a day or two before Angie was reported missing, Albert claimed to have seen Joey walking out of the woods with a shovel on his father's property in Cottonport. Albert had then offered to take them there.
- [19:33]
Dale Broussard
During the course of the transport, he, Albert, had asked them if they would bring him to a certain location he was describing. He would show them where Angie was buried. And he gave them a description of some grain bins and a riverbed and just some general things that they recalled that he was saying.
- [20:00]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Soon after, Mary Jane interviewed the female U.S. marshal who was in the car with them. The marshal confirmed that the conversation had taken place.
- [20:09]
Dale Broussard
And I asked her the question, did you ever relate this to anybody else? And she said, well, yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I told Dale Broussard, and I can tell you specifically when it was. It was Thanksgiving after we transported him. And his response to me was, oh, yeah, we know that. And so I was stunned because we had never heard any of this before as far as Angie is concerned.
- [20:39]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Dale Broussard, you may recall, was the detective involved in Joey Smith's drug case, the same one who'd gotten angry at Mary Jane for tearing him away from Monday Night Football after Mary Jane learned Joey Smith was Engaged in witness tampering. Mary Jane was confused why Dale had failed to tell her that Albert Lavallee, the same guy who shot Joey Smith's second wife, had also admitted to knowing where Joey's third wife was buried. She set up a meeting with him, too.
- [21:07]
Dale Broussard
I asked Dale to meet me. We were in a parking lot at the Sheriff's association here in Baton Rouge, and he walked out and he said, is there a problem? And I said, yeah, you could say there is.
- [21:21]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Mary Jane asked if he remembered a US Marshal telling him that Albert Lavallee had claimed to know where Angie Smith's body was buried and that Albert had even offered to show them the location.
- [21:31]
Dale Broussard
He said, yeah. She told me about him saying that he wanted to be taken someplace where he could show where Angie's body was buried. But we already knew that. I said, stop and think what the words are, Dale.
- [21:48]
Mary Jane Marcantel
To her horror, Mary Jane realized what happened. Dale had mixed up the murder of Sheila, Joey's second wife, with the disappearance of Angie and Joey's third wife. In other words, Dale thought Albert had admitted to knowing where Sheila was buried. But Sheila, of course, was never buried. Only her jewelry was. The body Albert was talking about was Angie's.
- [22:12]
Dale Broussard
And Dale looked at me like, oh, my God. I mean, his words. And I go, yeah. He said, I got it mixed up with Sheila's case, not Angie.
- [22:25]
Mary Jane Marcantel
According to Dale, no one had followed up with Albert about his new confession. It was as if it had never happened. Mary Jane wrote the mistake off as one of many law enforcement bumbles she'd experienced in her career.
- [22:40]
Dale Broussard
And that's what I assessed it to is lack of paying attention to detail when someone's telling you something because you've already gotten it in your mind, the results without paying attention to the evidence.
- [22:57]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Still, a question remained. What reason did Albert have to admit that he knew the location of Angie's body? No one had asked him about it. He seemed to have volunteered the information out of the blue. Mary Jane thought she knew the answer. At the time of his car ride with the deputy and the US Marshal, Albert had only recently admitted to killing Sheila. Mary Jane figured he'd wanted to clear his conscience and tell them what he knew about Angie, too.
- [23:25]
Dale Broussard
I think it was just a bunch of things happening all at the same time. And when they were transporting him back from Joey, pleading in the drug case, he was just unburdening himself from all the crimes that he had committed for Joey. I think it was just a continuation of that.
- [23:47]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Whatever Albert's motivations were, his admission represented the biggest break in the disappearance of Angie Smith. Suzanne and her mother were overjoyed.
- [23:57]
Suzanne Reed
So when we initially heard that he had told the transporters that he could take them to the body of my sister, we were excited, elated, hopeful. So many thoughts of maybe we can actually find her and give her a proper resting place.
- [24:15]
Mary Jane Marcantel
The problem was, years had passed since that car ride and Albert was now on death row. Under these new circumstances, would he still be willing to tell anyone what he knew?
- [24:35]
Jed Lipinski
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- [25:43]
Nourish Representative
In the new year? Try seeing a personal dietitian with Nourish. Nourish has hundreds of dietitians who specialize in a variety of health concerns, including weight loss, gut health, and more. Meet with your dietitian online and message them anytime through the Nourish app. Nourish accepts hundreds of insurance plans 94% of patients pay $0 out of pocket. Find your personal dietitian@usenourish.com that's usenourish.com.
- [26:19]
Mary Jane Marcantel
After learning that Albert Lavallee had admitted to knowing where Angie Smith's body was buried, Mary Jane's new priority was clear. Talk with Albert and see if he'd repeat the story to her. But Albert was currently on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, and his death penalty conviction was under appeal. Getting in touch with him wouldn't be easy.
- [26:43]
Dale Broussard
He's got lawyers that represent him. I can't make a direct contact with him to talk to him. It only can come through his Lawyers first.
- [26:56]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Mary Jane spoke with the public defender who'd represented Albert during his murder trial. She told him what Albert had said to the deputy and the US Marshal. She asked him if Albert had ever mentioned that story. The attorney said no. In fact, during plea deal negotiations, he said he'd grilled Albert about Angie's case, but Albert had insisted he had no information to share. Albert's appeals attorneys said something similar. Neither of them were willing to put Mary Jane in touch with him.
- [27:25]
Dale Broussard
And we just could not get any cooperation at that point for any help on finding Angie.
- [27:37]
Mary Jane Marcantel
In the summer of 1995, Joey Smith finally went to trial for the murder of his second wife, Sheila. In Suzanne's memory, it was the polar opposite of Albert's trial.
- [27:48]
Suzanne Reed
Completely different trial. Rich white man with the best attorneys money can buy. This time for jury selection. His attorney argued that he could not get a fair jury because everybody in that area knows him. And so they had to go to a town a couple of hours away, select a jury, bring the jury back to the town. The trial's in, jury gets sequestered even. Yeah, he had a great defense. And it went on and on and on. And because Albert would not testify against him, really, this jury, I mean, God bless them, because they were going off of circumstantial evidence.
- [28:30]
Mary Jane Marcantel
But the circumstantial evidence was strong. The recording of Albert's confession to Sheila's murder was played for the jury. The letter Joey wrote to Albert from jail was also introduced. The one threatening to expose Albert for his role in a pair of unnamed murders that Joey was also presumably involved in. In the end, the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict for the first degree murder for hire of Sheila Smith.
- [28:58]
Suzanne Reed
You know, that verdict came in very dramatically at like 2 o'clock in the morning. And everybody went back to the courthouse and there was such relief to just hear, you know, guilty. So then we wait the 24 hours and they go back to hear, you know, both sides of whether he should receive life or death. No one zero people got on the stand and said, this man killed my mom, my daughter, my sister. No one testified for him to get the death penalty. His children got on the stand and begged for his life. I can't fault them for that. They're victims. But they told the jury they didn't want to lose their dad too. At the time, they didn't believe he.
- [29:43]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Was guilty because the jury had been taken from another parish and sequestered. They had no idea Joey Smith was already serving a federal sentence for drug trafficking or that he was the number one suspect in the disappearance of his third wife, or that another ex wife and a girlfriend had both died of self inflicted gunshot wounds under suspicious circumstances.
- [30:05]
Suzanne Reed
He just came in in his beautiful suits every day and they didn't know that there were other people that he's harmed because none of that has anything to do with that case he's on trial for.
- [30:17]
Mary Jane Marcantel
So while Albert Lavallee, the poor black teenager who'd admitted to pulling the trigger, was sentenced to death, Joey Smith, the wealthy white landowner who'd ordered Albert to pull the trigger, was sentenced to life. After serving out his federal sentence at Leavenworth Prison in Kansas, Joey would be transferred to Angola, where he'd join Albert to spend the rest of his days. The trial received front page headlines for weeks. It was the biggest story in Baton Rouge at the time. And it caught the attention of a new set of appeals attorneys in Lafayette. The attorneys contended that Albert was under the domination and control of Joey and that their relationship was an example of a, quote, plantation mentality. The team took Albert's case pro bono with the goal of getting him off death row. One of the first people they contacted was Mary Jane.
- [31:12]
Dale Broussard
And they actually reached out to us to ask us if we objected, if we would help and whatever. And we agreed to. We wanted to see if he can tell us where Angie was.
- [31:27]
Mary Jane Marcantel
As she had with Albert's prior attorneys, Mary Jane asked if they would be willing to put her and Angie's family in touch with Albert, but they too declined for obvious reasons.
- [31:37]
Dale Broussard
Their goal was only to get him off a death row, to undo the conviction, and they weren't interested in him giving any further help that would cause him any more problems. They were looking at the fact that if he had any knowledge of another death or that he was involved with one, it's not going to help. Their goal in representing him, to get him off of death row.
- [32:08]
Mary Jane Marcantel
It took several years, but Albert's new appellate attorneys ultimately succeeded in getting his death sentence reduced to life in prison. At that point, Suzanne and her mother Pat, were finally able to communicate with Albert directly. After exchanging a few letters, Suzanne and her mother drove out to Angola to meet with him. What was it like to meet Albert for the first time?
- [32:32]
Suzanne Reed
Meeting Albert at Angola Prison was. It was an experience that is hard to describe. You know, I know what he did, what he confessed to, and I know obviously then what he's capable of. And I sort of had this picture in my mind and it just wasn't that. I mean, when we got there, the first thing he did was put out his arms and hug my mother. They had had a letter writing relationship prior to us meeting him, and I shook his hand because I just couldn't. And so we sit down and we start talking and I'm just. I don't think I said much at first. I think it was mostly my mom and him because I was just struck by staring at him. This is a small statured man with a kind face and a soft, kind voice. And the more I listened to him, the more, the more remorseful he sounds and the more I start to see him as a total human being instead of just like a murderer.
- [33:46]
Mary Jane Marcantel
After some small talk, Suzanne's mother got to the point of the visit. She asked Albert about the conversation he'd had with the deputy and the US Marshal and his offer to show them where Angie's body was buried.
- [33:58]
Suzanne Reed
She said point blank, we are not trying to get you in trouble. We don't have any reason to do that. We just want the body. He said, I understand why you'd ask, as any parent would, if you heard that information, but I just didn't say that. I never met your daughter. I don't know anything about her. But you can ask me any question you want and if I know the answer, I'll tell you. But I don't know anything about your daughter.
- [34:25]
Mary Jane Marcantel
And what did you and your mom think about that?
- [34:28]
Suzanne Reed
We definitely thought he was being less than truthful. We thought that from his perspective, to admit anything like that would be to put himself back in the line of fire, one with the judicial system. He'd get charged again with another crime and also back in the line of fire with Joey Smith, who he's clearly terrified of.
- [34:53]
Mary Jane Marcantel
After that initial visit, Albert and Suzanne's mother continued to exchange letters. In one, Albert said he assumed Joey had buried Angie somewhere on his family's 2,300acre property. He adopted a helpful tone, asking Suzanne's mom questions that might aid in the search. Did Angie visit the property a lot with him? He wrote, did she have a favorite place they visited? Did she like the outdoors, water or woods? In another, Albert wrote, oh, God, Pat, I sure wish there was more I could do. It's not a day that go by my thoughts are not with you or where Angie could be on the land. I do want to help, but don't know how. It wasn't until years later, during another visit to Angola, that Suzanne finally grasped the reason for Albert's evasiveness.
- [35:43]
Suzanne Reed
He told us, my mother and I, that the reason he stopped Talking early on was because while he was sitting in jail waiting for trial, he received a letter. Just a piece of paper, but inside it were pictures of his children getting on the school bus and playing on the playground and at their house. And so he took it as a direct threat that, you know, if you testify, I'll hurt your children. So he never talked again.
- [36:09]
Mary Jane Marcantel
In December of 1999, the 10th anniversary of Angie's disappearance, the Baton Rouge Advocate published an article about the case. You always have some kind of hope, angie's mother, Pat, told the paper. But as the years go by, it's hard to continue having hope. Pat said she was offering a $25,000 reward for information. If someone could take me to that child's body, she said, I would give them everything I have. A detective on the case said he hadn't received any new leads in years. But he added that Joey Smith might someday surprise everyone and tell what he knows about Angie's disappearance. Who knows? The detective said, before he dies, he may decide to cleanse his soul. But that never happened. Just three months later, Joey Smith died in his sleep at Leavenworth prison. He was 51 years old. Suzanne remembers getting the call.
- [37:08]
Suzanne Reed
Wasn't sad to hear it, but was sad that he never made it to Angola. I would have loved to see him go to Angola. It's not a good place. He would not have been treated well there. Didn't happen. So then, you know, there he goes, taking it to his grave with him.
- [37:25]
Mary Jane Marcantel
For Mary Jane, Joey's death signified the end of law enforcement's interest in Angie's case.
- [37:31]
Dale Broussard
His single death was going to cause anybody to stop looking at Angie's disappearance because the prime suspect, the person with her the last time she was known to be alive, is now dead. And so moving forward with any investigation on Angie's disappearance just further went out the window.
- [37:58]
Mary Jane Marcantel
And did you think now that he's dead, that might provide an incentive for Albert to come forward?
- [38:07]
Dale Broussard
Well, we had hoped that Albert would come forward because Joey was dead. But that's not the only person Albert was concerned about. There were still some family members he was very concerned about.
- [38:20]
Mary Jane Marcantel
But Mary Jane's own investigation continued. Now and then, random people would feed her a new tip or lead. She followed through on every one. Angie's mother passed away in 2019. In the last years of her life, she developed dementia and struggled to remember who Angie was.
- [38:42]
Suzanne Reed
And at the end of her life, she would say things like, don't I have another child? Or she would even remember Angie's name and asked me where Angie was. The first few times I tried to push through, explaining gently, angie's in heaven. And I finally just started saying, angie will come over later. It was too painful for her and for me. And I have to say, when she passed almost in unison, all at the same time, my husband and my children and I all said, at least she's with the Enchi now. And I'm grateful for that, but I'd much rather have Angie here.
- [39:29]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Today. Mary Jane is resigned to the idea that she may never learn what happened to Angie Smith. The case remains one of the most agonizing of her career, but she takes solace in the thought that a measure of justice was served.
- [39:43]
Dale Broussard
So I have to look at it as, just like I told Pat from the first time I met her, I may not be able to get him convicted on Angie, but I will guarantee you I'm going to get him convicted on Sheila and then the drug case also, which is what happened. And that's the promise I made to her. He got convicted on the drugs. He wound up in federal prison. He got convicted of the murder for Sheila. He died in prison. He ultimately served the penalty for Angie's disappearance and we believe death. I would love to have found Angie's body where she could be buried, but in reality, sometimes things like that just don't come to fruition, and this one didn't.
- [40:42]
Mary Jane Marcantel
And yet, not long ago, something happened that gave Mary Jane and Suzanne a sliver of hope. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, on his way out of office, decided to commute the sentences of dozens of state inmates, many of whom were serving life sentences for first degree murder. Albert Lavallee was one of them. In December 2023, Albert was released from prison after 31 years. He was 57. Mary Jane contacted the governor's office and the state police, hoping they could put her in touch with him. Both agencies declined. Mary Jane recently learned that Albert moved back to the Cotton Port area, not far from where Angie's body is believed to be buried. Suzanne hasn't spoken with Albert in years, but she hopes that someday he might be willing to open up about what he knows.
- [41:38]
Suzanne Reed
Not knowing where Angie's body is is like this wound that never heals. Never heals. And he's still holding on to this secret. I don't know any other way besides him that will ever find her body. So he's got an answer that I desperately want. I mean him no harm, but if we could just, I don't know, come together some way like I do believe he's a victim of Joey Smith. So is my sister, so am I. So is my mother. So is everybody who loved Angie. And I just think as victims we could rally together and help each other. I pray that one day he'll tell us. I don't know that he will, but the prayers will continue for that.
- [42:35]
Mary Jane Marcantel
If you have information, story tips or feedback you'd like to share with the Gone south team, please email us@gonesouthpodcastmail.com that's gone southpodcastmail.com and for bonus content, you can follow us on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram onsouthpodcast. You can also sign up for our newsletter on substack. Gone south with Jed Lipinski Gone south is an Odyssey original podcast. It's created, written and narrated by me, Jed Lipinski. Our executive producers are Jenna Weiss Berman, Maddie Spring, Sprung Keyser, Tom Lipinski, Lloyd Lockridge, and me. Our story editors are Tom Lipinski, Matty Sprung Keyser, and Joel Lovell. Gone south is edited by Chris Basil and Perry Crowell. It's mixed and mastered by Chris Basel. Production support from Ian Mont and Sean Cherry. Special thanks to J.D. crowley, Leah Rees, Dennis, Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Kurt Kort and Hilary Shuff.
- [43:44]
Soraya
College holds a mythic place in American culture. It's often considered the best four years of your life and hailed as a beacon of integrity and excellence. But beyond the polished campus tours, there are stories you won't find in the admissions pamphlets.
- [44:00]
Mary Jane Marcantel
The higher ups are concerned about one.
- [44:02]
Dale Broussard
Thing thing, and that is avoiding scandal.
- [44:04]
Soraya
It's no wonder that college campuses capture the nation's attention, especially in moments of upheaval. I'm Margo Gray. Each week on the Campus Files podcast, we bring you a new story.
- [44:17]
Mary Jane Marcantel
It was the biggest academic scandal in.
- [44:20]
Soraya
The history of college sports, and probably in the history of academia. On Campus Files we cover everything from rigged admissions to to the drama of Greek life.
- [44:29]
Suzanne Reed
A chancellor having a pornographic double life.
- [44:33]
Mary Jane Marcantel
Is an extremely rare case.
- [44:35]
Soraya
Listen to and follow Campus Files an Odyssey Original Podcast, available now on the free Odyssey app and wherever you get your podcasts.