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Susan Smith’s 1994 Child Murders Revisited as Parole Denial Keeps Her in Prison

The South Carolina mother confessed after nine days of public pleas following a fabricated carjacking report.

Overview

  • She drove her car into a lake with sons Michael, 3, and Alexander, 14 months, inside, later revealing the vehicle and children were at the bottom of the water.
  • She initially claimed a Black man had carjacked the vehicle with the boys inside before confessing after nine days of televised pleas and a large search effort.
  • Prosecutors said she killed to win back a wealthy lover who had ended their affair, while the defense cited depression, dependent personality disorder, and a supposed suicide plan.
  • Expert testimony indicated the car would have floated for about six minutes, during which she could have rescued the children, and jurors chose life imprisonment over a death sentence after a swift guilty verdict.
  • The parole board unanimously denied release in November 2024 as her ex-husband urged rejection, and 2022 reports detailed flirtatious prison letters and charges against two officers over sexual relationships with her.