JNS VIDEO: Anne Marie Leikas Denies Her Boyfriend Remaro Smith Killed Annshalike Hamilton, Denies Remaro Beats Her...

In the wake of detailed, highly-specific allegations by June Leikas (the mother of murder victim Annshalike Hamilton) and a friend of the family naming Remaro Smith as the likely murderer, I spoke to Anne Marie about the allegations. Anne Marie called me on a phone also used by Jonathon Newman, Remaro's brother who lives in St. Paul.

To read the account of June Leikas, click here. To read the account of "William," a close friend of the family, click here. To read about my phone conversation with Jonathon, click here. To read and see my first conversation with Remaro, click here.

I had this conversation with Anne Marie videotaped purely to aid my note-taking ability in a conversation which was likely to go quickly, where substantive stuff might get spilled. If I'd known Anne Marie was going to be calling and I'd end up taping it, I would have combed my hair first. In any case...



Anne Marie said she was at Jonathon's house in St. Paul and she had arrived there by bus. By "house," she apparently means an apartment, because Jonathon lives in an apartment, not a house, according to other sources. In contrast to Remaro, whose answer was "talk to my lawyer," Anne Marie was willing to answer the question of where she was the night Annshalike disappeared: she was with her mother, June Leikas, at the now-infamous trip to Cub Foods.

(This response ended up starting a very interesting line of inquiry with "William," my other source. More details to follow but, yes, it appears others agree Anne Marie accompanied June that night to Cub Foods)

In response to allegations by June Leikas and "William" that Anne Marie is a frequent victim of domestic violence at the hands of Remaro Smith, Anne Marie said Remaro has never hit her, not even once, though "we get into it." It wasn't clear what "get into it" means in this context.

I asked Anne Marie about allegations that she's had black eyes for two years straight, that she is missing part of her eyebrows from the frequent beatings. Anne Marie responded anybody who says that kind of stuff "doesn't know what they're talking about."

Asked why on earth her own mother would say these kind of things, Anne Marie says "drugs and drink." Trying to turn the tables, Anne Marie accuses me of saying her family is "no good people." She asks me why am I so concerned with the murder of Annshalike? Why am I sticking my nose into it? Do I think I'm a detective, that I will solve the case?

Turning the subject back to Remaro, I ask why he will not go talk to the detectives. Anne Marie said, "If the detectives wanted to talk to Remaro, they could have already." I pointed out Remaro is currently wanted on three warrants. How, exactly, will the detectives talk to him when he's a fugitive? Anne Marie points out Remaro didn't have any warrants back when the murder investigation started. But now Remaro has warrants. She doesn't say it directly, but the implication seems to be I should UNDERSTAND Remaro needs to hide out because of the other warrants, not because he had anything to do with the murder of Annshalike Hamilton.

I brought up the incident June Leikas and "William" described with Remaro pointing guns at members of the family. Anne Marie denies any incident like that ever happened. She said "He don't have no guns."

I brought up the allegations about Anne Marie and Remaro breaking in to Anthony's trust fund. Anne Marie responded, "It was Anthony who wanted to get into the trust fund." She denies there was any theft from the trust fund.

Anne Marie asks me if I will "put something on the computer" for her. It is a message she wishes to convey to her mother, June Leikas, and anybody else telling stories about her and Remaro. The message is as follows:

F*** OFF

Anne Marie summarizes what is being said about Remaro in this way. "It's all a bunch of bulls***." She asserts her mother, June Leikas, calls to chat all the time. Her mother, June Leikas, is a "f***ing drunk" and "she doesn't know what she is talking about."

Anne Marie asks, "If June would say all these things, why does she want to talk and conversate with me?" Anne Marie asserted that June Leikas had called Remaro on January 29 and said "Happy birthday." Anne Marie tells me Remaro is in Chicago, but she won't say where, exactly, in Chicago.

I ask if Remaro would be willing to turn over a DNA sample if the police asked him for one. Anne Marie said there's no need for Remaro to do that, since his DNA is "already in the system" from an incarceration.

When I tried to turn the conversation back to domestic violence, Anne Marie hung up.