Man indicted in death of 65-year-old Jacksonville woman

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man has been indicted in the 2022 murder of a 65-year-old Cynthia Smith, who investigators said was found dead of multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma in her home in Mandarin.

The woman’s car, investigators said, was missing and found in St. Augustine the following day. That’s where Jonathan Wanchik was arrested for violating probation. Investigators said he had some of Smith’s credit cards in his possession.

The arrest report shows that Smith had let Wanchik live with her for three months.

Wanchik pleaded guilty to the probation violation and went to prison. The arrest report says investigators got a letter from an inmate who said Wanchik confessed in detail to killing Smith.

The state attorney’s office has notified Wanchik it intends to seek the death penalty if he’s convicted.

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