Woman accused of murdering Garden City restaurant owner charged

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The woman who was found in South Carolina by U.S. Marshals accused of the murder of Ernie Ortiz made her first appearance in court and has been charged.

Samantha Jo Smith was charged by a judge with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in connection to the 2019 homicide.

Ortiz was the owner of El Conquistador, a restaurant in Garden City. In September 2019, officers responded to a man-down call in the area of Buffalo Jones Avenue and Bancroft Street.

When officers arrived, they found Ortiz lying in a parking lot with gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.

While Smith made her first appearance on Tuesday, the original court documents show a filing date of June 20, 2023. This is because authorities in Kansas needed to get the U.S. Marshals involved.

An investigation is ongoing. Smith is due back in court at a later date.