Friend of brutally slain Florida man Timothy Smith says she grew suspicious of his now accused husband

MARION COUNTY, Fla. - Every time Candy Baker steps into her kitchen, she's reminded of the child-like freedom her friend Timothy Smith allowed himself to have. 

"We love to do that, to be silly and to live in the moment and just be free," said Baker. 

On the morning of March 25, Marion County Sheriff's Deputies found Smith's body in his home in the Citrus Park neighborhood. His friends and his – husband Herbert Swilley had been searching for him the night before. 

"I never thought anything bad would happen. I don't think anyone thinks bad things would happen to your family or your friends or, you know, anyone you know, said Baker. 

It was just as hard for his sister Sandy Riels to accept – the siblings had lost their mother just months prior. 

"And then for him to, you know, something happen to him, it was just …it's just been devastating," said Riels. 

In a one-on-one interview about the case, Lieutenant Paul Bloom described Smith's murder as brutal.

"The level of violence done to the victim from the body that they saw was certainly appalling," said Lieutenant Bloom. 

In the days after, Baker said she had grown suspicious of Swilley because of his behavior and some of the things he'd say. 

"The husband that morning I went there, I said, ‘Did you sleep?’ And he said, ‘I slept like a baby,’" said Baker.

Though Smith's husband is now arrested as the suspect in the case, Timothy's loved ones are still pushing for justice. 

"He was my buddy and I was his sister, you know. That's what we call one another, so I missed my buddy, you know. But I'll see him again one day," said Riels.