Niagara Falls Man Indicted for Murder of Valerie Maye

A Niagara County Grand Jury handed down an indictment against a Niagara Falls resident accused in connection with a July homicide.

William Smith, 64, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder along with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse for the death of 79-year-old Valerie Maye. Smith entered a plea of not guilty last week and was ordered held without bail while the case proceeds.

Authorities arrested Smith on the afternoon of July 7th only hours after officers discovered Maye’s body at the Niagara City Lofts on Portage Road. Law enforcement officials described the case as a “domestic incident.”

According to police, officers responded to a 911 call just after 10am reporting a deceased woman at 561 Portage Road. When they arrived, they located Maye inside her apartment where she was pronounced dead.

Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division and the Crime Scene Unit reported they were able to “quickly identify” Smith as the suspect. However, investigators and prosecutors have not disclosed Maye’s cause of death or what circumstances may have led to the fatal incident.

Niagara Falls Man Indicted for Murder of Valerie Maye