The Florida “Sex House” Murder: Inside the Twisted Killing of Timothy Smith
The Florida “Sex House” Murder: Inside the Twisted Killing of Timothy Smith
Ocala, Florida — March 25, 2023
What began as a routine welfare check in a quiet Florida apartment complex ended in a homicide investigation that would expose a couple’s secret double life, reveal a calculated murder plot, and ultimately lead to a life sentence for a husband who thought he had committed the perfect crime.
The Discovery
On the morning of March 25, 2023, 55-year-old Herbert Swilley called the Marion County Sheriff’s Office requesting a welfare check on his husband, 59-year-old Timothy Floyd Smith. Swilley explained that Smith hadn’t shown up for work the previous day at the senior living center where he served as executive director, and wasn’t responding to calls or texts.
Swilley drove to a second apartment the couple maintained in Citrus City, a small community near Ocala. He found Smith’s Jeep parked outside but couldn’t gain entry—he claimed he didn’t have a key. When deputies arrived and entered the apartment, they found a scene that would immediately raise suspicions.
The living areas appeared normal, but a bedroom told a different story. Hanging from the ceiling was a sex swing with chains. A standing toolbox contained various sex toys. Whips decorated the walls, and a massage table sat in the corner. This was no ordinary second home—it was what investigators would later call a “sex house,” a private retreat where the married couple engaged in sexual encounters with other men they met through social media and dating apps.
In the master bedroom, deputies discovered Timothy Smith’s body lying on the floor between the bed and a closet. He wore only a T-shirt and shoes. Dark ligature marks encircled his neck. The coroner would later determine he had suffered blunt force trauma to his face and genitalia, and his cervical spine had been fractured. The smell of cleaning chemicals—similar to bleach—permeated the area around his body.
The Investigation Unfolds
From the outset, investigators faced a baffling case. Was this a hate crime targeting a gay man? Revenge from a jealous lover? A sex date that had turned deadly? Or something far more sinister?
The autopsy revealed shocking findings: Smith had been dosed with diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl and Unisom, at levels 30 times higher than a therapeutic dose. Someone had drugged him before killing him.
As detectives dug deeper, a troubling picture of the couple’s relationship emerged. Friends and family members described a marriage in its final, toxic days. Smith had recently gotten sober through Alcoholics Anonymous and was planning a major life change—he had secured a job interview for an executive director position in DeLand, Florida, which would require him to relocate. He intended to leave Swilley behind.
The financial motive became clear: Swilley stood to collect approximately $333,000 from Smith’s life insurance policies and retirement accounts upon his death. If Smith left him, that money would disappear.
The Daughter’s Testimony
Perhaps the most damning testimony came from Swilley’s own daughter, Jordan Swilley, who had lived with the couple since she was 15. Now 22, she took the stand against her father during his September 2025 trial.
Jordan described a household increasingly fractured by alcohol and arguments. When Smith got sober, the fighting intensified. Her father began talking about divorce. She started going to work early just to avoid the tension.
On the night before Smith’s disappearance, Jordan heard noises in the house. Her father later instructed her to tell investigators she “hadn’t heard anything” if asked. In the days following Smith’s death, Herbert Swilley had his daughter help dispose of Smith’s belongings—including family photos—while he searched frantically for insurance paperwork.
A Friend’s Account
Candace Baker, a sober coach and close friend to both men, provided crucial testimony about Swilley’s behavior after the murder. Baker described Swilley’s disturbing lack of emotion and his unsettling comments, including: “Now I’m finally going to get the house I always wanted.”
Swilley obsessively focused on cleaning Smith’s Jeep to remove fingerprints, telling Baker he didn’t want to give police “ammunition” against him. He insisted Baker stop talking about Smith’s death and began pressuring her about insurance matters. Baker eventually cut ties with Swilley and contacted law enforcement.
The Staging of a Crime Scene
Prosecutors presented evidence that Swilley had murdered Smith in their shared home, then transported the body to the “sex house” apartment to stage the scene. Surveillance footage contradicted Swilley’s timeline—his truck was seen leaving their residence during early morning hours when he claimed to be sleeping.
After killing Smith, Swilley allegedly used his vehicle to transport the body to the second apartment, where he arranged it to suggest a sexual encounter gone wrong. He attempted to destroy evidence using household cleaning agents, placed Smith’s phone and Jeep keys in the washing machine, and later drove to a landfill to dispose of two carpets from their home.
Swilley then returned to their residence, drove Smith’s Jeep back to the apartment where he’d left the body, and walked home. Investigators noted that surveillance video from the couple’s Ring camera system was conveniently missing from the night of the murder.
The Arrest and Trial
For months, Swilley remained the primary suspect while detectives built their case. In August 2023, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office announced that Swilley had stopped cooperating with the investigation and would only speak further if granted immunity from prosecution.
On November 3, 2023, detectives arrested Swilley and charged him with first-degree premeditated murder and tampering with evidence. He was held without bail.
Swilley’s trial began in September 2025. The defense argued that investigators had fixated on Swilley while ignoring other potential suspects. They pointed to DNA evidence from the apartment that matched two other men with criminal records, and noted that neighbors had reported seeing a young white male with blond hair in the area around the time of Smith’s death.
However, the prosecution’s case was overwhelming. Cellphone location data placed Swilley with Smith’s Jeep at critical times. His daughter’s testimony contradicted his alibi. His financial motive was clear. And his behavior after Smith’s death—cleaning the Jeep, disposing of belongings, searching for insurance documents, and showing little emotional distress—spoke volumes.
Verdict and Sentencing
On September 19, 2025, a jury found Herbert Swilley guilty of premeditated first-degree murder. The judge immediately sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Swilley, now 57, will spend the rest of his life behind bars for a murder born of greed and control—a calculated killing of the man he had promised to love and cherish, staged to look like something it was not.
The Aftermath
The case has drawn national attention, with People Magazine Investigates featuring it in an episode titled “Sex House Homicide” that aired in January 2026. The story serves as a grim reminder that the most dangerous threats often come from within our own homes, and that the carefully constructed facades people present to the world can hide dark and deadly secrets.
For the friends and family of Timothy Smith, justice has been served, though it cannot bring back a man who was, by all accounts, a respected professional and beloved member of the Ocala community. His New Year’s Eve parties were legendary, his dedication to senior care was admirable, and his decision to get sober and start anew should have led to a brighter future—not a staged death scene in a secret apartment.
The “sex house” in Citrus City has become just another footnote in Florida’s long history of bizarre and tragic crimes, but for those who knew Timothy Smith, it will always be the place where a husband’s betrayal reached its horrifying conclusion.
This case has been resolved with a conviction. Herbert Swilley is currently serving a life sentence in a Florida correctional facility.