LYNN  – A Lynn man was arraigned and held without bail on Monday for allegedly murdering his sister.

Joshua Smith, 31, pleaded not guilty at Lynn District Court to the kidnapping and murder charges of Michelle Knox, 38.

Lynn police received a call at approximately 1 a.m. Sunday and responded to an address on Newhall Street, where they found Knox deceased, according to a press release from the Office of Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.

The exact cause of Knox’s death has not currently been made public, and a motive for her murder has not yet been disclosed.

Legal filings show Smith’s previous arrest records. In February 2017, he was charged with armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and mayhem. He pleaded not guilty and was found not guilty of all charges by a jury in March 2020. 

In July 2024, Smith was charged with assault and battery and assault with a dangerous weapon. Both charges were dismissed in March 2025 due to request of the defendant and failure to prosecute, according to Lynn District Court records. 

In October 2024, Smith was charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of carrying a dangerous weapon, and two counts of threatening to commit a crime. He pled guilty to both counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in July 2025, and the charges of carrying a dangerous weapon and threatening to commit a crime were dismissed upon plea. He was then placed on probation until February 2027. 

As for Smith’s charges surrounding Knox’s death, the judge impounded the case on Monday per request from prosecutors due to the investigation being in its early stages. Smith’s next court date is scheduled for Oct. 14.

The incident remains under investigation by Lynn Police, the State Police Detective Unit assigned to Tucker’s office, and the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

All suspects and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.