Skip to content

Crime & JusticeDeveloping

Dale Smith Jr. charged in 2011 disappearance of ex-fiancée Michelle Parker

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Smiling woman with dark hair and dramatic eye makeup, close-up against a dark background.
Image via CBS NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

CBS News, ABC News and the New York Post report that police arrested Dale Smith Jr., 55, Michelle Parker's former fiancé, and charged him with second-degree murder in the 2011 disappearance of Parker, 33. Parker vanished on Nov. 17, 2011, the day an episode of The People's Court about a dispute between the two aired. According to the arrest affidavit, which was unsealed, police believe Smith choked Parker to death when she came to drop off their young twins. Her body has never been found. CBS reports that newly recovered text messages and advances in forensic technology led to the arrest. The New York Post reports that texts in the affidavit show Smith wished someone would kill her. Smith has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence, his lawyer said.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Police arrested Dale Smith Jr., Parker's former fiancé, and charged him with second-degree murder, police said.

    Reported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, ABC News
    Right
    New York Post

  2. Michelle Parker, 33, disappeared on Nov. 17, 2011, the same day an episode of The People's Court involving her and Smith aired.

    Reported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, ABC News
    Right
    New York Post

  3. Police said new evidence and advances in forensic technology led to the arrest, though some details were not provided.

    One outletCBS News· Left

  4. According to the arrest affidavit, police believe Smith choked Parker to death when she came to drop off their children.

    One outletABC News· Left

  5. Parker's body has never been found, and police say she is presumed dead.

    One outletABC News· Left

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Smith has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence, his lawyer said.

    One outletABC News· Left

  2. Texts in the unsealed affidavit reportedly show Smith allegedly wished someone would kill Parker and offered her money for sex weeks before she vanished.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Dale Smith Jr. killed Michelle Parker.

    Police and the unsealed arrest affidavit, as reported by ABC News, allege Smith choked Parker to death. Smith's lawyer says he pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All outlets report that police arrested Dale Smith Jr. on a murder charge in the 2011 disappearance of ex-fiancée Michelle Parker. ABC leads with the alleged choking and court-show link, CBS with text messages and a domestic violence history, and the New York Post with remarks attributed to Smith.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side outlets lead with the alleged murder and the same-day court-show link, while CBS leads with the text messages that led to the arrest.

    Man accused of fatally choking ex on same day they appeared on court TV show: Warrant
    ABC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The New York Post, the only right-side outlet here, leads with a profane remark attributed to Smith and affidavit texts rather than the arrest or the alleged cause of death.

    Ex-fiancé of missing Florida mom, Michelle Parker, hoped ‘Sensational language“someone would kill this b–tch”The quoted words are an alleged threat with a gendered slur, and the headline gives them prominence before the facts are tested in court.More neutral: said he wished harm would come to ParkerThese words are attributed to Dale Smith Jr.. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?,’ weeks before she vanished: docs
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right1

    explosive

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    explosiveMore neutral: 46-page arrest affidavit

    The adjective adds drama that the affidavit's contents do not themselves establish.

    Text messages detailed in an explosive 46-page arrest affidavit obtained by The Post show a deteriorating relationship…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

Words quoted from someone else (2)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    someone would kill this b–chMore neutral: said he wished harm would come to Parker

    The quoted words are an alleged threat with a gendered slur, reported as the words of a man police have charged.

    …ex-fiancé of a missing Florida mom allegedly told a friend that he wished “someone would kill this b–ch” and then offered her $2,000 for a night of sex “one last time” — just days…

    Quoted byNew York Post (Right)

    These words are attributed to Dale Smith Jr.. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    someone would kill this b–tchMore neutral: said he wished harm would come to Parker

    The quoted words are an alleged threat with a gendered slur, and the headline gives them prominence before the facts are tested in court.

    Ex-fiancé of missing Florida mom, Michelle Parker, hoped ‘someone would kill this b–tch,’ weeks before she vanished: docs

    Quoted byNew York Post (Right)

    These words are attributed to Dale Smith Jr.. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • alleged choking death
  • same-day court show link
  • text messages and domestic violence history

Leaves out

  • content of the affidavit texts reported by the New York Post
  • remarks attributed to Smith about wanting Parker killed

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • alleged remarks about wanting Parker dead
  • offer of money for sex in texts
  • another former fiancé's claims of choking

Leaves out

  • police allegation that Smith choked Parker to death

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Ex-fiancé of missing Florida mom, Michelle Parker, hoped ‘Sensational language“someone would kill this b–tch”The quoted words are an alleged threat with a gendered slur, and the headline gives them prominence before the facts are tested in court.More neutral: said he wished harm would come to ParkerThese words are attributed to Dale Smith Jr.. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?,’ weeks before she vanished: docs

    Another former fiancé of Smith claimed to detectives earlier this year that he routinely choked her to the point of passing out with his bare hands or a belt during sex and during arguments, and threatened to make her disappear.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    CBS News, Oct 27, 10:45 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    12 hr 16 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 11:00 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CBS NewsLeftOct 27, 10:45 AM EDT
  2. ABC NewsLeftOct 27, 7:30 PM EDT
  3. New York PostRightOct 27, 11:00 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page