LOCKPORT — A Niagara Falls man has been indicted on multiple charges by a Niagara County grand jury in connection with a July homicide in the city.
William Smith, 64, of the Falls, faces one count of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse in the slaying of Valerie Maye. Smith pleaded not guilty to the charges this past week and was ordered held without bail pending further proceedings.
He was taken into custody on the afternoon of July 7, after police discovered the body of Maye, 79, earlier in the day at the Niagara City Lofts in the 500 block of Portage Road. Law enforcement sources have characterized the homicide as a “domestic incident.”
Falls police patrol officers responded to a 911 call of a deceased woman about 10:15 a.m. at the apartment building at 561 Portage Road. When officers arrived, they found Maye dead inside her apartment.
Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and Crime Scene Unit (CSU) detectives said they were able to “quickly identify” Smith as their suspect in the slaying. But neither investigators nor prosecutors have revealed the victim’s cause of death or what may have led to the homicide.