Escaped Georgia inmate named as suspect in Florida murder

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An escaped Georgia prison inmate is now a suspect in the shooting death of a Florida man whose body was discovered Monday, investigators say.

Stephen Michael Smith, 34, failed to return from his work detail Aug.15 at the Clayton Transactional Center in Clayton County, where he was serving a 10-year sentence for robbery.

On Monday, the Gulf County Sheriff's Office identified Smith as the prime suspect in the murder of 30-year-old Daniel Lee Upton of Lakeland, Fla.

Stephen Michael Smith, 34, is suspected in the killing of a Florida man while being on the run from Georgia authorities after a prison escape.  (Gulf County Sheriff's Office )

On Tuesday, the sheriff's office announced the arrest of Destiny Jene Terry, 44, on a charge of being a principal to second-degree murder. In a statement, the office said Upton was able to identify Smith as the person who shot him and added that Terry was present at the time.

The sheriff's office said that Terry "helped facilitate the contact between Smith and Upton," but did not elaborate further. The office's statement added that the killing is believed to be the result of a drug deal gone wrong.

Lee was found dead Monday at a home in Port St. Joe, a sparsely populated community in the Florida panhandle.

Destiny Jene Terry, 44, was arrested for her role in the murder of Daniel Lee Upton in Florida. Escaped Prison inmate Stephen Michael Smith, 34, is suspected in the killing.   (Gulf County Sheriff's Office )

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The Georgia Department of Corrections issued a lookout for Smith on Tuesday and the U.S. Marshals Service offered a $10,000 reward for his capture.

He was described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 180 pounds, with tattoos on his arms and neck.