OCALA, Fla. (Court TV) — Jurors on Wednesday heard from the daughter of a Florida handyman accused of murdering his husband in March 2023 amid marital strain and mounting financial trouble.
Jordan Swilley, the 22-year-old daughter of Herbert Swilley, testified that her father told her to lie about his whereabouts and later directed her to help discard the belongings of Timothy Smith, including enlisting her assistance in cleaning Smith’s Jeep before it was surrendered to investigators through an attorney.
Jordan Swilley, the 22-year-old daughter of defendant Herbert Swilley, testified in her father’s murder trial. Herbert is accused of killing his husband, Tim Smith. (Court TV)
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Prosecutors allege Herbert killed Smith by drugging him with diphenhydramine and then strangling him before moving his body to a nearby apartment to make it appear as though Smith died during a sexual encounter gone wrong.
Jordan testified that she last saw Smith alive on the night of March 23, 2023, when he and her father were watching television. She told jurors she went to bed around 9 p.m. and was later woken by a noise and noticed some sort of Ring app notifications indicating movement detection, though she did not investigate.
The next morning, she asked where Smith was and mentioned the noise. She testified that her father told her to say she had been asleep and hadn’t heard anything, adding, “That’s all you need to remember.”
Later that day, her father asked to be driven to the apartment in Ocala. Jordan, who had never been there before, stayed in the car as her father retrieved his gun from the Jeep outside. He also stopped at a gas station to throw away a pill bottle, saying only that he didn’t want to discard it at home.
Jordan told the jury that she didn’t know Smith and her dad had a separate apartment they used for sexual activities, or that they were in an open relationship. She was under the impression that the apartment was used as a massage parlor and never went there until Smith went missing.
One day after Smith’s body was discovered in the apartment, Jordan said her father began throwing out Smith’s clothes, medications and framed family photos and removed a large rug, saying the dogs had soiled it.
Herbert Swilley appears in court during jury selection for his murder trial Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (Court TV)
Jordan detailed the chaotic weeks in the aftermath of Smith’s death and stated that her dad mentioned needing Smith’s life insurance money “quite a few” times. Following his arrest, Herbert gave Jordan power of attorney over his assets. He instructed her to sell property and vehicles, and to use the funds “to live.”
Before Jordan took the stand, family friend Candace Baker corroborated parts of that account, saying she visited the house on March 26 and noticed rugs and a coffee table missing. She testified that Herbert said he needed to find “the insurance papers” to get “my money.”
The next night, Baker said, Herbert called her repeatedly from AutoZone while shopping with Jordan for cleaning supplies. According to Baker, he said he had to clean the Jeep before deputies got it and mentioned her fingerprints were inside; she responded, “I wouldn’t hurt anyone, I don’t care if my fingerprints are in the Jeep.”
This story was reported by John Cowley IV and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
