NARVON, Pa. (WHTM) -- A jury in Lancaster County convicted 46-year-old Kristopher Smith of Narvon, Pennsylvania of first-degree murder, two counts of burglary, two counts of robbery, and two counts of conspiracy in connection to the Dec. 2, 2016, home-invasion murder of Dennis Pitch in Salisbury Township. Smith is the third of four defendants in the homicide investigation.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Fetterman presented evidence and testimony claiming that Smith and two other men broke into Pitch's home after hearing he may have a large amount of cash on hand.
Brandon Bills, another defendant in the trial, and Smith both lived in the Narvon, Pennsylvania area near Pitch's home at the time of the murder. Additionally, Smith's phone records show that he conspired with and was in "constant" contact with two Delaware County men, Michael Baker and Christopher Lyles, the night before the murder, according to the jury.
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Baker and Lyles, both of Folcroft, Pennsylvania, were previously found guilty of second-degree murder and other offenses. Bills agreed to testify against the other three men in exchange for immunity against the homicide charges he faced; Bills is still accused of burglary, robbery, and conspiracy.
Smith faces a mandatory life sentence after President Judge David Ashworth orders a pre-sentence investigation.
According to a police report and court documents, Smith, Baker, Lyles, and Bills went to Pitch's home on the night of Dec. 2, 2016; Baker, Lyles, and Smith went into the home while Bills stayed in the car.
Pitch was shot in the head and torso according to police. When Smith returned to the car, he told Bills, "It didn't go as planned," according to court testimony.
Pitch's family, coworkers, and friends grew concerned for Pitch's wellbeing when he didn't show up for work. Pitch was found dead on Dec. 4, 2016; Pennsylvania State Police filed charges against the defendants on April 23, 2018.
Testimony from Bills, the Lancaster County Coroner's Office, and video footage of Smith's car parking near Pitch's home were all used as evidence during the trial.
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