Anthony Smith, ex-husband of the late former Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews, was recently convicted of murdering three men in 1999 and 2001.
Anthony was convicted in a Lancaster, Ca. court last year for the 1999 murders and kidnapping of brothers/business owners, Kevin and Ricky Nettles, and the 2001 murder of Dennis Henderson. Smith might also be re-tried in a fourth murder case for the 2008 shooting death of Maurilio Ponce, a 31-year-old auto-mechanic. That particular 2012 Ponce case ended in a mistrial after the jury was deadlocked.
The Nettles brothers’ bodies were found with their heads wrapped in duct tape. Henderson was found stabbed and brutally beaten to death in the back of a rental car.
Aside from being Vanity’s ex-husband, Anthony may look familiar to you because he is the former star NFL defensive end for the Oakland Raiders (from 1991-1997). After parting ways with the Raiders in 1997, he signed with the Denver Broncos before suddenly walking away from that contract and retiring from the NFL altogether. That’s when life begin to spiral out of control for Anthony, and his friends and family say he had two personalities- a short tempered man who can be cold at times; and the 6’4″ 320 pound gentle giant with very polite manners.
It was during this time that Anthony and Vanity had a short marriage and an even shorter courtship. Word on the old school curb is that Vanity met Anthony, who was eight years her junior, and she actually proposed to him 3 DAYS later. Wow, it must have been love at first sight.
