Man Accused of Choking Ex to Death on Day Their Court TV Episode Aired, According to Newly Unsealed Warrant

Authorities allege a Florida man choked his former fiancee to death shortly after they appeared in an episode of the reality show 'The People's Court' that aired following days of heated messages, according to a newly unsealed affidavit.

Michelle Parker, a 33-year-old mother of three, vanished in 2011 hours after the pre-taped episode of 'The People's Court' aired featuring a dispute about her engagement ring, according to police. Her body has never been found and she is presumed dead, according to police.

Her former fiance, 55-year-old Dale Smith Jr., was arrested earlier this month and charged with second-degree murder in connection with her presumed death, Orlando police said. He has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence, his lawyer said.

According to the 46-page arrest warrant affidavit, which was released on Tuesday after an Orange County judge ordered it unsealed, authorities believe Smith choked Parker to death when she came to his house on November 17, 2011, to drop off their 3-year-old twins.

Her sister reported her missing that night, after Parker never showed up for her shift at the bar where she worked or returned to the home she shared with her mother, according to the affidavit. While being interviewed by detectives the following day, Smith was photographed with recent scratches and abrasions that detectives now believe are defensive wounds from the victim, the affidavit stated.

He had scratches near his mouth and on his lower lip and on his left wrist, as well as abrasions on the back of both of his elbows, according to the affidavit. The affidavit stated there are no records of detectives asking what the injuries were from.

Smith was named the only suspect in Parker's disappearance during a news conference on November 28, 2011, according to the affidavit. Police allege Smith has a violent history and cannot handle stressful situations. During the preliminary investigation, detectives learned of a history of domestic violence between the victim and suspect, none of which was ever documented by law enforcement, with Parker's family and friends describing their relationship as tumultuous, with the suspect oftentimes being violent and controlling toward the victim, the affidavit stated. Police also learned Smith was found guilty in 2001 of domestic violence against his wife at the time, according to the affidavit.

Smith was arrested on October 14, nearly 15 years after Parker disappeared, with Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith saying investigators reexamined testimony and conflicting statements made by the suspect and used advanced digital forensics to uncover and analyze additional evidence. According to the affidavit, this year an Orlando Police Department homicide analyst reviewed the original cellular data records obtained in 2011 and recognized there was additional data in the records that had not been analyzed; the affidavit stated it is likely this data was not readable to detectives in 2011, and the data revealed more precise location and user data, including messages, for the suspect's and victim's phones.

In the weeks leading up to her disappearance, Parker sent what police described as several offensive messages to the suspect. According to the affidavit, she texted on November 3, 2011, that her kids were better off without him in their life. Later, in text messages, Parker accused Smith of trying to bribe her for sex, according to the affidavit; in a November 10 message she declined the offer. Smith denied offering to have sex in exchange for money, saying he simply wanted to spend time with her, the texts included in the affidavit show.

During his initial interview with police, Smith said he did not know what happened to Parker but thought she was laying low after the People's Court show aired and believed she was embarrassed by it. However, according to his phone records, he never called or messaged her ever again after November 17, 2011, the affidavit stated, noting that in the nearly seven weeks prior to Parker's disappearance, the two exchanged 1,013 text messages and 21 voice calls, according to the affidavit.

Citing cellular data, investigators allege Smith lied to police about how long Parker was at his home to drop off the twins. According to the affidavit, he testified that she arrived around 4 p.m. and was gone 10 minutes later; her phone usage proves the victim arrived at the suspect's house at 15:18 hours, stayed there for over an hour, and the victim does not respond to anyone ever again, the affidavit stated. Investigators also allege that Smith deleted messages off Parker's phone until 4:27 p.m. on November 17, 2011, then threw it into Lake Conway, where the phone was later recovered.

Smith remains held without bond following his initial court appearance on October 15. His attorney, Rajan Joshi, told ABC News that Smith has maintained his innocence since Parker's disappearance; Joshi said that when he was originally questioned, Smith was very cooperative with law enforcement, let them search his house, talked to them and came in voluntarily without a lawyer and gave an interview.

According to the affidavit, Smith and Parker taped the episode of 'The People's Court' in June 2011, and it aired on November 17, 2011, at 2 p.m., just prior to Parker arriving at Smith's house. Smith was seeking $5,000 over a lost engagement ring, saying in the episode that Parker had thrown the ring at him during an argument at an Atlanta hotel and it went over a balcony. The show's judge, Marilyn Milian, found both were at fault and that Parker owed Smith $2,500 for her half of the ring.