MURFREESBORO - A man has been formally charged with first-degree murder following the tragic death of an infant in Rutherford County last year.

Murfreesboro Police responded to a call on October 24th, 2023, on Bishop Street for an unresponsive infant. The child was taken to Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital but did not survive.

The Rutherford County Grand Jury issued a sealed indictment, charging Scott W. Smith with aggravated child neglect and first-degree murder.

The Murfreesboro Police Department’s Special Victims Unit conducted a thorough investigation, and the findings were presented to the grand jury in October.

Smith was arraigned Monday (October 28) in a Rutherford County courtroom.