William Trickett Smith II ( or Jr. ) ( born c. 1981 ) is a U.S. citizen from Paxtang , Pennsylvania who pleaded guilty to killing his Peruvian wife , Jana Claudia Gómez Menéndez de Smith of Trujillo , Peru . Gómez Menéndez was reported missing and was found in a suitcase that washed up on a beach near the capital city of Lima the day after the 2007 Peru earthquake . Her body was identified by a tattoo of a butterfly on her neck . The homicide investigation became known in Peru as " The Mystery of the Butterfly . " On May 23 , 2011 , Smith was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of his wife
2007 Peru earthquake
2007 Peru earthquake
William Trickett Smith II