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November 20, 2024
Infamous mother, serving life with parole for killing her two son 30 years ago, denied parole in South Carolina
This CBS News piece reports on a high-profile murderer being denied her bid for parole today after having served 30 years in prison. Here are the basics:
A parole board decided unanimously Wednesday that Susan Smith should remain in prison, despite her plea that God has forgiven her for infamously killing her two young sons 30 years ago by rolling her car into a South Carolina lake while they were strapped in their car seats.
It was the first parole hearing for Smith, 53, who is serving a life sentence after a jury convicted her of murder but decided to spare her the death penalty. She is eligible for a parole hearing every two years now that she has spent 30 years behind bars.
Smith made her case by video link from prison. She started by saying she was "very sorry," then broke down in tears and bowed her head. "I know what I did was horrible," Smith said, pausing and then continuing with a wavering voice. "And I would give anything if I could go back and change it." In her final statements, Smith said God has forgiven her. "I ask that you show that same kind of mercy, as well," she said.
Smith made international headlines in 1994 when she insisted for nine days that a carjacker drove away with her sons. Prosecutors have long argued that Smith killed 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex because she believed they were the reason the wealthy son of the owner of the business where she worked broke off their affair. Her attorneys blame her mental health.
A group of about 15 people urged against parole. They included her ex-husband and the father of the boys, David Smith; his family members; prosecutors; and law enforcement officials. Along with a few others, David Smith had a photo of Michael and Alex pinned to his suit jacket. He struggled to get out words at first, pausing several times to compose himself. He said he has never seen Susan Smith express remorse toward him. "She changed my life for the rest of my life that night," he said. "I'm asking that you please, deny her parole today, and hopefully in the future, but specifically today," he said, adding that he plans to attend each parole hearing to make sure Michael and Alex aren't forgotten.
A decision to grant parole requires a two-thirds vote of board members present, according to the state. Parole in South Carolina is granted only about 8% of the time and is less likely with an inmate's first appearance before the board, in notorious cases, or when prosecutors and the families of victims are opposed.
November 20, 2024 at 07:42 PM | Permalink
Comments
It is just that she remain in prison until her death.
Posted by: anon | Nov 20, 2024 9:40:38 PM
It's unlikely she'll parole until she's served at least 40 years in prison. The writer of the piece is correct that parole is usually denied the first time. I don't think she'll parole until she's old and near death, or the victims' father passes away and fewer people will oppose her release due to the death of her most vocal opponent.
Posted by: Anon | Nov 21, 2024 2:28:50 AM
What she did is so self-centered and hard-hearted as to qualify as evil. Her behavior in prison indicates that her extreme self-centeredness hasn't changed. I agree that like Charles Manson's last follower who participated in the notorious Tate-LaBianca murders in the 1960s, she should not be paroled until she is in her 70s and helpless. When she is paroled without any substantial resources in her 70s, she will wish that she was back in a predictable prison life. Most forget that because she has not worked and paid into Social Security and Medicare, she will not have those benefits to fall back upon when she is released. I know a 77-year-old former inmate, who served more than 30 years in Federal prison over a marijuana growing conspiracy. At 77 years old, he still works 7 days per week, trimming the hooves of donkeys ($25 per hoof) and shoeing horses, just to get by and survive.
Posted by: Jim Gormley | Nov 21, 2024 9:43:01 AM
She deserved death.
Posted by: federalist | Nov 21, 2024 10:44:38 AM
