Earnest Harold Smith was arrested Sept. 18 and charged with murder in Bridget Caldwell’s 2011 death, Houston police said. A cold-case review identified additional evidence linking Smith; police have not disclosed it. Caldwell was found strangled in a Houston apartment.
Caldwell’s father found her on March 6, 2011, after she failed to show up for work that morning. Smith had been identified as a person of interest during the initial investigation.
Court documents say Caldwell had reported domestic violence and stalking and told others she feared Smith would kill her if they separated. They also allege she told three people he once held a gun to her head. Smith denied the domestic-violence allegations. He reportedly told detectives they had broken up two years earlier; the district attorney’s office described an on-and-off relationship lasting five to six years. After arraignment, Smith posted $100,000 bond, with GPS monitoring among the conditions.
