Texas woman on the run since 2009 added to state’s 10 most wanted list

AUSTIN, Texas (KWTX) – Margaret Lorrain Smith, 62, who’s been on the run since 2009 after she was charged in a murder-for-hire in 2007 that left her husband dead, was added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list Tuesday and a Texas Crime Stoppers reward of as much as $7,500 is offered for information leading to her arrest.

Brazoria County Crime Stoppers is offering an additional reward of as much as $5,000 for information leading to Smith’s capture.

Smith is charged with capital murder in the Aug. 6, 2007 death of her husband George Smith, whom she lured to Surfside Beach “late at night and left him sitting in the sand as the man she hired beat George to death with a metal object,” the DPS said.

The victim’s facial bones were shattered into more than 100 pieces, according to a pathologist’s testimony.

Smith and her codefendant, Dylan Laughrey, were indicted for capital murder in September 2007.

Lauighrey was convicted and was sentenced to life without parole in November 2008, but Smith fled on Aug. 11, 2009 while free on bond before the start of her trial.

Surveillance video showed her getting into a maroon four-door sedan, possibly a Lincoln Continental, at a Walmart in the San Antonio area.

Smith is 5-foot-6, weighs about 185 pounds, often dyes her naturally dark curly hair or wears wigs, and has a mole on the bottom of her right eyelid.

To be eligible for cash rewards, tips must be provided either by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS; through the DPS website, or through Facebook by clicking on the “Submit a Tip” link under the “About” section.