Dale Edward Moneypenny is a Kentucky man serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the March 2006 stabbing deaths of two Louisville men, Charles “Eddie” Poynter and Blaine Thacker Jr. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to avoid the death penalty and remains incarcerated at the Southeast State Correctional Complex, ineligible for parole.1Kentucky Department of Corrections. Inmate Details – Dale Edward Moneypenny
The Louisville Murders
Moneypenny was 26 and had been dating Jennifer Lynne Smith for about ten days when the killings happened on March 24, 2006. The couple met Charles “Eddie” Poynter at a Louisville bar called Teddy Bears, and Poynter offered them a place to stay at his duplex on Harlan Avenue.2Oxygen. Dale Moneypenny, Jennifer Smith Convicted in Murders
After Poynter found the couple having sex in his bed and told them to leave, Moneypenny grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him repeatedly in the face and torso. Smith later admitted she handed Moneypenny a lighter, which he used to set the home on fire to destroy evidence. Louisville firefighters needed 45 minutes to put out the blaze. Inside, they found Poynter’s charred body with a knife handle still embedded in his face. An autopsy determined the stab wounds killed him, not the fire.2Oxygen. Dale Moneypenny, Jennifer Smith Convicted in Murders
The couple then went to the nearby apartment of Blaine Thacker Jr., Poynter’s best friend. Thacker, not knowing what had just happened, offered them food and shelter. Smith told police that Moneypenny stabbed Thacker in his bed while she slept on the couch, and that she woke around 4:30 a.m. to find Moneypenny covered in blood. Moneypenny later admitted he killed Thacker because he was afraid Thacker would figure out what had happened to Poynter. The couple took valuables from both scenes to pawn before leaving Louisville.2Oxygen. Dale Moneypenny, Jennifer Smith Convicted in Murders
The Victims
Eddie Poynter was 43, a Barren County, Kentucky, native who had settled in Louisville. He worked at Clapp Oldsmobile and belonged to Servant Valley United Baptist Church. He left behind his mother, a daughter, and a grandson, among other relatives.3Hatcher & Saddler Funeral Home. Eddie Poynter Obituary Retired Louisville Metro Police Detective Leigh Maroni later called the attack on Poynter an “overkill” crime of passion.2Oxygen. Dale Moneypenny, Jennifer Smith Convicted in Murders
Blaine Thacker Jr. was 73 and lived a few blocks from Poynter.4WAVE 3. Woman Arrested After Two Murders, Second Suspect Sought The two men were close friends often seen together. Police only learned Thacker was dead after Smith confessed and led them to his apartment.
The Manhunt and Capture
Investigators started with the Harlan Avenue fire. In the ashes they found a notebook with the name “Jennifer Smith,” and a witness told police the next day that he had seen Moneypenny and a bloodied woman near the scene before the fire.2Oxygen. Dale Moneypenny, Jennifer Smith Convicted in Murders Police tracked Smith to her mother’s home in southern Indiana. Her mother persuaded her to cooperate, and Smith confessed, revealing the second murder. She was arrested on two counts of murder, robbery, arson, and tampering with evidence.4WAVE 3. Woman Arrested After Two Murders, Second Suspect Sought
Moneypenny had fled south, and U.S. Marshals joined the search.5WLKY. Marshals Join Search for Suspect in Two Homicides In Daytona Beach, Florida, he met a 75-year-old man at a bar, went with him to a hotel room, pulled a knife, and robbed him of his wallet, keys, and car. Police said Moneypenny bragged to the victim that he had committed three murders.6WAVE 3. Florida Police Detail Capture of Kentucky Fugitive
He was captured on April 17, 2006, near Miami in the Sunny Isles Beach area. Officers stopped a car that had nearly hit their vehicle, ran the plate, and found it matched the car stolen at knifepoint in Daytona. A records check turned up the active Kentucky murder warrants. He was arrested on Florida carjacking charges and later extradited to Louisville.8WAVE 3. Moneypenny Extradited to Louisville
The Plea Deal and Sentence
Moneypenny was charged in Jefferson County, Kentucky, with two counts of murder, first-degree arson, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, and tampering with physical evidence, several with persistent felony offender enhancements. Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty.7Kentucky Department of Corrections. Inmate Details – Dale Edward Moneypenny
He pleaded guilty on September 5, 2008, with a formal conviction date of September 8, 2008.9WAVE 3. Man Pleads Guilty to 2006 Murders In exchange, the death penalty was withdrawn. He received life without the possibility of parole on the murder, arson, robbery, and burglary counts, and a concurrent ten-year sentence for tampering with physical evidence.1Kentucky Department of Corrections. Inmate Details – Dale Edward Moneypenny
Jennifer Smith pleaded guilty to complicity to commit murder and arson. She was sentenced to ten years and was released in 2011 after about five years in custody.2Oxygen. Dale Moneypenny, Jennifer Smith Convicted in Murders
Appeal and Where He Is Now
Moneypenny appealed. In February 2014, the Kentucky Court of Appeals affirmed his conviction in an unpublished opinion.10Kentucky Court of Appeals. Court of Appeals Minutes – February 14, 2014 He is an active inmate at the Southeast State Correctional Complex in Kentucky and is ineligible for parole.1Kentucky Department of Corrections. Inmate Details – Dale Edward Moneypenny