Susan Smith | |
|---|---|
.png) Smith in 2012 | |
| Born | Susan Leigh Vaughan September 26, 1971 Union, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Spouse |
David Smith
(m. 1991; div. 1995) |
| Children | Michael Daniel (1991–1994) Alexander Tyler (1993–1994) |
| Conviction(s) | Murder (2 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment with possibility of parole after 30 years |
| Imprisoned at | Leath Correctional Institution |
Susan Leigh Smith (née Vaughan; born September 26, 1971) is an American woman who was convicted of murdering her two sons, three-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander, in 1994 by drowning them in a South Carolina lake.[2]
The case gained international attention because of Smith's false claim that a black man had kidnapped her sons during a carjacking.[3] Her defense attorneys, David Bruck and Judy Clarke, called expert witnesses to testify that she had mental health issues that impaired her judgment when she committed the crimes.[4][5]
Smith was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.[2] According to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, she will first be eligible for parole on November 4, 2024. She is incarcerated at the Leath Correctional Institution near Greenwood, South Carolina.[6]
- ^ Rekers, George (1996). Susan Smith: Victim Or Murderer. Glenbridge Publishing Ltd. pp. 12, 16. ISBN 0-944435-38-6.
- ^ a b Spitz, Werner U. (2005). "Investigation of Bodies in Water". In Spitz, Daniel J. (ed.). Spitz and Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation of Death. Guideline for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigations (4th ed.). Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas Publishing Ltd. pp. 846–881. ISBN 978-0398075446.
- ^ "Susan Smith, Mother Who Killed Kids". NBC News. July 23, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ Grant, Lorrie (February 27, 1995). "Lawyers to Reveal Defense for Susan Smith: Could Pleas Insanity or Mental Illness for Mother of Drowned Boys". Buffalo News. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ Bragg, Rick (July 22, 1995). "Psychiatrist for Susan Smith's Defense Tells of a Woman Desperate to Be Liked". The New York Times.
- ^ Helling, Steve (November 15, 2022). "Sex, Drugs and Sickness: Inside Susan Smith's Life in Prison After Drowning Her Sons". People. Retrieved November 8, 2023.