BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — The Belvidere Police Department announced on Wednesday that Alize Smith, 24, has been charged with three counts of first-degree-murder in the killings of Andrew Hintt and his two sons.

“As of today, January 5, 2022, the Belvidere Police Department and Boone County State’s Attorney has charged Alize Q. Smith, 24-years-old of Huntley, Illinois, with three counts of first-degree murder. Alize is currently being held in the Boone County Jail with no bond,” said Belvidere Police Chief Shane Woody at a press conference Wednesday.

“I know the public has a lot of questions regarding a horrific act such as this, and it is completely natural when something like this happens to a community, but please understand the integrity of this investigation is my priority. What I can tell you is that over the last two-and-a-half weeks, the Belvidere Police Department has been conducting an exhaustive investigation in order to bring justice and accountability for the family,” he continued.

The murders happened on the night of December 19 at 628 Union Ave. Police said that they were called to the home around 9:35 p.m., at which time they found the bodies of 31-year-old Andrew Hintt and his five and seven-year-old sons inside. They had all been shot.

Woody said that Smith was with Hintt and the boys on the morning of December 19, the same day their bodies were found inside the their home.

“The state’s attorney’s job is to do justice. I have an ethical duty not to make statements or comments outside of the courtroom while a case is pending that might influence potential jurors and prevent a fair and impartial trail. If we do not take precautions to ensure a fair trial, there will not be justice for the victims, their families and the community in this case,” said Boone County State’s Attorney Tricia Smith.

“As Chief Woody indicated, my office reviewed the Belvidere Police Department’s investigation into the deaths of Andrew Hintt and his two young sons. I have approved three first-degree murder charges. If convicted of first degree murder in Illinois, it is a non-probational offense, and it carries a term of 20 to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Because of the specific facts of this case, the defendant is facing an additional 25 years to natural life in addition to what is imposed on the 20 to 60 year sentencing range. Also, in the alternative, if he is convicted of murdering two or more individuals, it is a mandatory sentence of life in prison. In addition, any sentence imposed in this case will be served in 100%,” she said.

Belvidere Mayor Clint Morris offered his condolences to the family of the victims.

“On behalf of the entire community, I want to once again give my condolences and sympathies to the Hintt family for the terrible loss of Andrew, his sons Benjamin, 7, and Sebastian, 5. We know that we can never remove the pain and grief for the Hintt family. However, we have to ensure that we will provide justice for them,” Morris said. “All we can do is make certain that justice will be served here, and that justice is on behalf of the victims, their family and the community.”

Smith is in custody and lodged in Boone County Corrections with no bond. His first court appearance is Thursday, Jan. 6 at 1:15 p.m.

Maddie Way, father to the two boys and fiancé of Hintt, said that she is happy that this day has finally come, and that she saw the murder charges coming.

“Your gut tells you things, and I just knew he had something to do with it,” Way said.

Way said that her family trusted Smith.

“This man sat at a table with me, ate food that I’ve made, played with my daughter, told me how much he loved children and how he couldn’t wait to have them,” Way said.

She does not understand how someone could kill two little boys.

“If you had a beef with him, wait till my kids go home, let them live,” Way said. “We can figure it out, but my babies, they were innocent, they were innocent children.”

Way now wants Smith to know what he took from their family.

“You’re a disgusting human being. He trusted you,” Way said. “You took his life and you took his kids lives, and you took so much more from us.”