A mother who murdered her two children three decades ago pretended to cry during her sentence hearing—but was ultimately denied parole by the South Carolina Board of Paroles and Pardons.
Susan Smith, 53, drowned her sons Michael, 3, and Alex, 14 months, by rolling her car into a Union County Lake back in 1994.
Highlights
- Susan Smith, 53, was denied parole after pretending to cry at a hearing.
- Smith drowned her sons in a lake in 1994, leading to a life sentence.
- Smith claimed she lost touch with reality and pleaded for mercy.
Susan Smith tried convincing board members to grant her parole by pretending to cry during her sentence hearing—but they weren’t fooled by the act
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On Wednesday, Susan clutched a tissue to her face and repeatedly dabbed her eyes as she expressed her regrets, though it didn’t look as if there were any sign of tears.
“First of all, I want to say how very sorry I am,” she began, according to NewsNation. “I know that what I did was horrible.”
She tried convincing the board she had learned from her mistakes after being asked about previous disciplinary charges in prison.
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Susan claimed she had lost touch with reality when she committed the heartless act and wasn’t in the right headspace to fully comprehend what she was doing.
The testimony ended as she pleaded for mercy.
Image credits: LiveNOW from FOX
“I am a Christian and God is a big part of my life and I know He has forgiven me and I know that is by His grace and mercy,” she said. “And I just ask that you show that same kind of mercy as well.”
All seven members of the board made the unanimous decision to deny her parole.
Other witnesses present were adamant about keeping Susan locked behind bars
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The boys’ father, David Smith, didn’t hesitate to oppose her.
“I’m not here to speak about what she’s done in prison. You all have the records and accounts of all that,” he stated. “I’m just here to advocate on Michael’s and Alex’s behalf and as their father.
“God gives us free choice, and she made the free choice that night to end their lives. This wasn’t a tragic mistake. She purposely meant to end their lives. I never have felt any remorse from her. She never expressed any to me.”
Prosecutors had alleged that Susan killed her children after the man she was having an affair with left her because he wasn’t looking for kids.
Her lawyers denied this claim, insisting the murders were a “mental health story” instead. They argued she was suicidal and depressed and had initially intended on staying in the car with her boys.
Susan’s decision to drown her kids that fateful day thirty years ago was followed closely around the world
Image credits: RememberingMichaelAlexSmith
In November 1994, Susan Smith, then 23 years old, informed police her sons had been taken when she was carjacked by a black man in the city of Union, as reported by CNN.
A search was launched, and the media kept close eyes on the eerie case.
Image credits: Brooks Kraft / Getty
But authorities said her children were already dead by that time—fastened in their car seats at the bottom of John D. Long Lake.
The investigation turned inwards to the mother until Susan finally confessed. Her story was broadcast internationally, and her murder trial in 1995 gained worldwide attention.
Netizens were convinced Susan's statement was nothing more than a "fake apology"
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