MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – In a somber ruling, 41-year-old Steven Alan Swearingen was sentenced to life in prison for the second-degree murder of 52-year-old Steven Smolensky, a retired deputy sheriff with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened on November 30, 2021, when Smolensky, a Suburban Propane employee, arrived at a Weirsdale residence to deliver propane. Swearingen, a convicted felon, confronted Smolensky at gunpoint, preventing him from leaving or returning to his truck. Swearingen then shot Smolensky multiple times, killing him.
“In the wake of today’s sentencing, there are truly no words that can be said to ease the pain and suffering Steven Smolensky’s family has been through,” said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. “A life sentence will not fully repair the broken pieces left behind, but I hope this measure of justice will provide a sense of peace knowing the person responsible was held accountable.”
Swearingen initially claimed he thought Smolensky was there to “fill the home with propane,” which led him to confront the victim with a handgun. However, evidence showed that Smolensky only had a cell phone in his hands at the time he was fatally shot.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Adam Smith, Katrina Self, and Kevin Steiniger. Swearingen was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon.