Chandrika Creech, who also goes by Chandrika Cade, was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying against her then-husband John Creech in the 2012 killing of 20th Century Fox executive Gavin Smith, and no publicly available reporting has surfaced about where she is or what she is doing today. She was never charged with a crime connected to Smith’s death.1Los Angeles Times. John Creech Trial Conclusion
Who She Is
Cade met Gavin Smith in 2008 at The Matrix, an alcohol and substance abuse treatment center in Woodland Hills, California. She was a patient; Smith served as what she called a “co-leader” or “unofficial coach.” They began an on-and-off affair that ran for about four years while she remained married to John Creech, a convicted drug dealer she had wed in 2007.2NBC Los Angeles. Fox Exec Killer Ex-Wife Gavin Smith
Creech found out early. In 2008 he confronted Smith in a parking lot at The Matrix, shoving him against a wall and telling him to stay away from Cade. Cade later testified that Creech was “always very protective and possessive” and had assaulted her multiple times during their marriage, often over Smith.2NBC Los Angeles. Fox Exec Killer Ex-Wife Gavin Smith
The Night Gavin Smith Was Killed
On May 1, 2012, Cade arranged a late-night meeting with Smith in a secluded area of West Hills. Creech tracked her location through a GPS app on the couple’s shared family phone plan and drove to the spot, where he found the pair inside Smith’s Mercedes-Benz.3Courthouse News Service. Attorneys Paint Different Pictures Fox Executives Brutal Death
From the witness stand, Cade described a “bloody flurry of punches” and said Creech hit Smith “too many times to count. More than a dozen.” She testified that Smith “wasn’t fighting back or anything. He wasn’t even pushing away. He wasn’t moving at all.”4ABC7. John Creech Gavin Smith 20th Century Fox Chandrika Cade Prosecutors said she fled the scene in a Mazda after telling Creech, “You’re going to kill him,” and that Creech answered, “You’re next.” According to the prosecution, Creech later persuaded her to return so they could move Smith’s body, and the two burned their bloodied clothing in a fire pit.3Courthouse News Service. Attorneys Paint Different Pictures Fox Executives Brutal Death
The Immunity Deal
Cade was interviewed by detectives on numerous occasions during the investigation.5People. Who Killed Gavin Smith Disappearance Murder Prosecutors granted her immunity from an accessory-after-the-fact charge in exchange for her cooperation and trial testimony.1Los Angeles Times. John Creech Trial Conclusion
Asked at trial why she had never called police, Cade said, “Because I thought I’d get in trouble for telling them later instead of immediately.”4ABC7. John Creech Gavin Smith 20th Century Fox Chandrika Cade Her testimony gave the prosecution its most detailed account of the killing itself and of what she said was a pattern of abuse throughout the marriage.
The defense pushed back on her credibility, pointing to an email from Smith suggesting she stayed with Creech for financial reasons rather than out of fear. At the time of the killing, Cade, Creech, their daughter, two of Cade’s children from a previous relationship, her terminally ill grandmother, her brother, and a family friend all lived together in a West Hills home. Cade testified that she and Creech had decided to separate but that moving out was not “financially feasible.”2NBC Los Angeles. Fox Exec Killer Ex-Wife Gavin Smith
What Happened to John Creech
John Creech was charged with first-degree murder with a special allegation of lying in wait.6Courthouse News Service. Jury Returns Manslaughter Verdict Death Fox Exec On July 3, 2017, the jury acquitted him of first- and second-degree murder and convicted him of voluntary manslaughter, finding he had acted in the “heat of passion.”7NBC Los Angeles. Fox Executive Manslaughter Murder Killing Gavin Smith John Creech Sentence On September 19, 2017, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen Marcus imposed the maximum 11-year state prison sentence, saying he believed there had been “some planning” and that Creech was motivated by “jealousy and pride.”8Los Angeles Daily News. Killer of West Hills Resident and Fox Executive Gavin Smith to Be Sentenced
California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal upheld the conviction on March 12, 2019.9NBC Los Angeles. Mans Conviction Upheld for Fox Executives Beating Death Based on the 11-year sentence and standard California good-time credits, Creech would be eligible for release in the mid-2020s, though no public reporting has confirmed his current incarceration status or any release date.
Where She Is Now
The case returned to wide public attention in 2024 with the release of the Netflix docuseries Homicide: Los Angeles. Its fourth episode, “A Hollywood Affair,” retraces the investigation and features retrospective interviews with Smith’s sister, Tara Smith Addeo, and his wife, Lisa Smith.10The Independent. Gavin Smith John Lenzie Creech Murder Hollywood Affair No new interviews with Chandrika Cade appeared in the series, and no updates on her current life were included in the reporting around its release.5People. Who Killed Gavin Smith Disappearance Murder
She left the trial as a witness rather than a defendant, and she has stayed out of public view since.