Huntley man charged in slayings of father, 2 sons
A Huntley man has been charged in the slayings of a man and his two young sons found shot to death last month in their Belvidere home.
Alize Q. Smith, 24, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the Dec. 19 killings of Andrew Hintt, 31, and his two sons, Benjamin, 7, and Sebastian, 5, Belvidere police said Wednesday.
Smith was being held without bail at the Boone County jail, and his first court appearance was expected Thursday afternoon. Court records didn't list an attorney who could speak on Smith's behalf.
Police said they were called to Hintt's home about 9:35 p.m. on Dec. 19 and found him and his two sons shot to death, Rockford ABC affiliate WTVO-TV reported. Police said Smith spent part of the day of the killings with Hintt and his sons at Hintt's home.
It wasn't immediately clear how the men knew each other, but the mother of the two boys and Hintt's fiancee, Maddie Way, suggested in an interview with WTVO Wednesday that she knew Smith.
"This man sat at a table with me, ate food that I've made, played with my daughter, told me how much he loved children and how he couldn't wait to have them," Way said.
Hintt and Way were the parents of five children in all, the Rockford Register Star reported. Benjamin and Sebastian lived with other relatives in the area; Hintt's aunt said Hintt regularly saw the boys, the Register Star reported.
Police haven't announced a possible motive for the killings amid the ongoing investigation.
"I know the public has a lot of questions regarding a horrific act such as this, and it is completely natural when something like this happens to a community, but please understand the integrity of this investigation is my priority," Belvidere Police Chief Shane Woody said. "What I can tell you is that over the last two and a half weeks, the Belvidere Police Department has been conducting an exhaustive investigation in order to bring justice and accountability for the family."
That investigation included, in the first days after the slayings, a search of a Huntley home on Timer Drive by U.S. marshals and Belvidere police. Several pieces of evidence were seized, Belvidere police said at the time. They did not say whether Smith owned or lived in the home.
Woody said police are still searching for Hintt's vehicle, a silver 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk with the Illinois license plate CTT92923. And Woody said investigators continue to seek information anybody has about the case; people can call Belvidere police at (815) 544-2135 or report anonymously to Boone County Crime Stoppers at (815) 547-7867.
Smith was arrested last month for a parole violation and identified by Belvidere police as a person of interest in the killings.
Boone County State's Attorney Tricia Smith said that if he's convicted, Smith would face life in prison for each count of first-degree murder, without the option for parole.
Illinois Department of Corrections records show Smith was convicted of armed robbery in 2016 for holding up a loan store in McHenry with a BB gun and sentenced to four years in prison, Shaw Media reported. At the time, he also was facing charges for holding up a 7-Eleven in Huntley a week earlier.
He also was sentenced to two years of mandatory supervised release with a recommendation for boot camp. His attorney said at the time he was afraid his client may not qualify or be able to complete boot camp because he had Type 1 diabetes.
Smith had no criminal history before the robberies.
Way told WTVO she does not understand how someone could kill two little boys.
"My babies, they were innocent. They were innocent children."