Thirty years ago, Susan Smith went to prison for the infamous murder of her two young sons. In 2024, she came up for parole, but was denied. Just how bad is her life in prison? It may surprise you.
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00:0030 years ago, Susan Smith went to prison for the infamous murder of her two young sons.
00:05In 2024, she came up for parole but was denied. Just how bad is her life in prison? It may
00:11surprise you.
00:13From the beginning, Smith was far from a model inmate. A file obtained by People revealed
00:17Smith had committed a variety of serious infractions, including self-mutilation and possession of
00:22contraband. She was also disciplined twice for drug-related incidents, losing her visitation,
00:28canteen, and phone privileges for a year each time. And in the early 2000s, two prison
00:33guards admitted to having sexual relationships with Smith. The officers pled guilty and Smith
00:38was transferred to the Leith Correctional Institution in Greenwood, South Carolina,
00:42where she remains. Although this was another black mark in her record, the abuse of power
00:47aspect of these incidents shouldn't be ignored.
00:50But in 2020, a source inside the prison told People that Smith had suddenly started behaving
00:54herself. They explained,
00:56"...she knows that her parole date is four years away and she can't get parole if she
01:00isn't being good."
01:02After 29 years behind bars, Smith came before the parole board on November 20th, 2024. She
01:08participated from prison through a video link. Throughout the proceeding, a tearful Smith
01:13was asked questions about the disciplinary infractions she committed during her time
01:16in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Her weepy response boiled down to two words.
01:23Smith was contrite-ish and went on to say what was expected.
01:27However, after acknowledging her own growth and desire to make amends, the parole board
01:35still wasn't done with her. Above all, Smith needed to show remorse. Before the parole
01:39board could rule, she took a moment to admit that she understood and took responsibility
01:44for killing her boys.
01:51Smith wasn't a victim. Smith's ex-husband, David, the boys' father, was there to speak
01:56for them and tell his side of the story. He appeared on screen with over a dozen supporters,
02:01including family members, legal representatives, and key members of the original prosecution
02:06team, all of whom pleaded with the authorities to deny Smith's request to be released.
02:10"...This wasn't a tragic mistake. She purposely meant to end their life."
02:19And it seems the parole panel took his words to heart. They voted unanimously to keep Smith
02:24locked up.
02:26For the unfamiliar who need a recap, the Susan Smith case was one of the most heinous and
02:30most publicized crimes of the 90s. On October 25th, 1994, the 23-year-old Smith took her
02:37sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex, out for a ride. Hours later, she called
02:41emergency services, frantic, claiming that an unknown Black man had carjacked her and
02:46kidnapped the kids.
02:48"...We will do anything, anything we will to help you to get them home back to us."
02:54For nine days, Smith and her ex-husband, David, repeatedly appeared on television, begging
02:59for their safe return.
03:00"...She looks at David and almost giggles like, we're gonna be on TV."
03:06Police quickly began to realize her story didn't add up, and they were right.
03:10How could someone be capable of such a horrendous crime? As a child, Smith had a lengthy history
03:15of untreated mental illness. She attempted suicide at 13, and was sexually abused by
03:20her stepfather, Beverly Russell, throughout her high school years. Although she reported
03:24the abuse to her school counselor, her stepfather, who was a prominent member of the Christian
03:28Coalition and the South Carolina Republican Party, managed to get the charges dropped.
03:33During Smith's trial, Russell admitted to molesting her in her teens and continuing
03:37an affair with her even after she was married.
03:40"...They went from Susan the Monster in January to Susan the Victim in July."
03:46After graduating from high school, Susan met and married David Smith, and they had two
03:49boys. Their marriage wasn't smooth sailing, however. There were periods of separation
03:54until their final split around 1994, which laid the groundwork for the tragedy to come.
03:59Soon after her marriage ended, Smith fell head over heels for a man named Tom Findley.
04:04But Findley, described by The New York Times as the son of a rich industrialist, broke
04:08up with Smith by letter in the fall of 94, explaining that he didn't want kids. Smith's
04:13two sons were a deal-breaker.
04:16Smith apparently decided she couldn't live without Findley. So, on the night of October
04:2025th, she drove her children to a nearby lake, strapped them into their car seats, and rolled
04:25the car into the water. She then concocted the Black Carjacker story, temporarily winning
04:30the public over with her lies. But on November 3rd, she confessed to the murders.
04:35The defense claimed a botched suicide, but she was able to save herself. She was able
04:40to blame a black guy. She wasn't wet.
04:43After a highly publicized trial, in which the death penalty was on the table, Smith
04:47was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
04:51After Susan's 2024 parole hearing, David Smith mentioned in a press conference that his ex-wife
04:55will be able to seek parole again in two years. And when that time comes in 2026, he'll be
05:00back to advocate against her.
05:02I haven't seen any remorse from her."
05:05However, it seems that Susan Smith's legal team might be using these next two years to
05:09hatch a different strategy to gain her freedom. Back in 2015, Smith wrote a letter to The
05:14State, a local South Carolina newspaper, to try and take control of her own narrative.
05:19In it, she claimed,
05:20"'Something went very wrong that night. I was not myself. I was a good mother and I
05:24loved my boys. There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. I was not in my
05:28right mind. I am not the monster society thinks I am.'"
05:32In one call that was recorded, you know, she says, I've done my time. It's enough."
05:39Smith's attorney, Tommy A. Thomas, is most likely behind this attempt to try to prove
05:43she's a changed woman. Whereas Thomas pointed out the crimes Smith committed were indeed
05:47atrocities during her parole hearing, he was quick to revisit the horrors Smith herself
05:52had to endure throughout her life, and how they should be considered in order to better
05:56understand her and how she got to such a desperate place.
05:59However, even if Smith were to be released, Thomas said,
06:02"...I don't think she will ever be able to forgive herself."