Man kills ex-common-law wife due to 'tired of seeing her' resentment

A Kentucky man was found guilty of killing his children's mother, explaining to one of them that he was "tired of looking at her."

Fairley Napier, age 49, was found guilty by a jury on April 1 for crimes including murder, corpse abuse, tampering with evidence, and vandalism related to the January 2024 death of 45-year-old Joanie Campbell-Smith, his former partner. 

She was declared missing on January 4, 2024, last seen by Napier. The pair had two children together.

Their daughter told Kentucky State Police that her father admitted to killing her mother because "he couldn't stand seeing her lying in the log yard and looking at her" anymore.

Campbell-Smith's burned body was discovered two days later in a charred vehicle matching the description of one she drove. 

The vehicle was located on land owned by Napier, who surrendered to police on January 7, 2024.

From courtroom reports by The Jackson-Breathitt County Times Voice, Napier testified that his relationship with Campbell-Smith began during their youth and continued off and on from 1994 until 2022. 

Napier told the court they met at a Jiffy Mart to talk before venturing to another parking area. 

He claimed Campbell-Smith asked him to break a window in her car to give her a reason to drive a Chevy Tahoe, purchased with her new husband.

Napier stated that his last sighting of Campbell-Smith was at the Jiffy Mart.

Prosecutors presented evidence that suggested another narrative. Attorney General Miranda King argued in court that Napier shot Campbell-Smith at the second location, the parking lot. 

Napier bought a mattock — a pointed tool for digging — to break into the vehicle after it was locked.

Napier subsequently drove the vehicle to its last location, dismembering and mutilating Campbell-Smith's body inside before igniting it. 

Investigators discovered Campbell-Smith's body tissue at the scene, including on logging machinery linked to Napier.

Following the couple's daughter's plea for help locating her mother, Napier claimed he would assist in the search.

King testified that Napier's anger over Campbell-Smith's new marriage, despite his own new relationship, fueled his motivation for the crime. 

As court testimony unfolded, Napier’s new girlfriend showed him images of Campbell-Smith with her new spouse. 

King mentioned Campbell-Smith and her partner had kept their marriage secret from Napier due to fears of his reaction.

In the days following Campbell-Smith's disappearance, Napier switched cars four times and acquired a disposable phone. Napier, who told others he was "emotionally distressed" after being implicated, finally confessed to a friend and later his daughter about the murder.

In a conversation with his daughter, Napier confessed to burning his former partner's corpse, stating he "grew tired of seeing her in the log yard and looking at her."

Napier and his defense lawyer refused a plea bargain in February. On April 1, he faced conviction for murder, corpse abuse, tampering with evidence, and vandalism. The jury proposed concurrent prison terms totaling 45 years.

The sentencing is slated for May 8.