Susan Smith will be up for parole next month, nearly 30 years after she was convicted of rolling her car into a South Carolina lake and drowning her two sons who were strapped in their car seats. Smith, 53, is serving life in prison after a jury decided not to sentence her to death in her 1995 murder trial. Under the law at the time, she is eligible to ask to be released after serving 30 years in prison.
Smith’s hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20, the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services confirmed. Parole hearings are conducted virtually in South Carolina, with the inmate joining via a video call from prison. Parole in South Carolina is granted only about 8% of the time and is even less likely on an inmate’s first appearance before the board, especially in notorious cases or when prosecutors and the families of victims express opposition. Smith’s case ticks all these boxes.
“The jury believed she got a life sentence and that’s what she should serve,” stated Tommy Pope, the lead prosecutor in Smith’s trial who is now the Republican Speaker Pro Tem of the South Carolina House. “Secondarily, I would point to her conduct in prison to show, unfortunately, what a juror hoped would happen, that she would be remorseful and think about those kids. She’s proven she’s only thinking about Susan Smith,” Pope added.
Smith garnered international headlines in October 1994 when she claimed she was carjacked late at night near the city of Union, and a man drove away with her sons inside. Smith, who is white, alleged that the carjacker was Black. For nine days, Smith made numerous and often tearful pleas for the safe return of 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex. The entire time, however, the boys and Smith’s car were submerged at the bottom of nearby John D. Long Lake.
Investigators quickly found inconsistencies in Smith’s story. Carjackers typically seek vehicles, so why would they let Smith go but not her children? The traffic light where Smith claimed her car was taken would only be red if another car was present, yet she said no other cars were around. Additional details also failed to add up.
Smith ultimately confessed to letting her car roll down a boat ramp into the lake. A re-creation by investigators showed it took six minutes for the Mazda to sink below the water surface, with cameras inside the vehicle recording water pouring in through the vents and steadily rising. The boys’ bodies were found dangling upside-down in their car seats, with one tiny hand pressed against a window.
Prosecutors argued that Smith was having an affair with the wealthy son of the owner of the business she worked at. He ended the relationship because she had the two young sons, and Smith decided that drowning them was her solution. The trial, despite not being televised, became a national sensation and a true crime touchstone, especially since it was concurrent with the O.J. Simpson murder trial. A jury convicted Smith but decided she did not deserve the death penalty.
Smith’s lawyers presented a defense arguing she was remorseful, suffering from a mental breakdown, and had intended to die alongside her children but exited the car at the last moment.
Smith’s 30 years in prison have been eventful. South Carolina prison rules prohibit broadcast interviews, but Smith has frequently written to reporters, true crime aficionados, and potential suitors who often publicize her letters. She unsuccessfully tried to appeal her conviction, alleging that her husband, David Smith, had abused her—an accusation he adamantly denied and which authorities found no proof for.
“During the ensuing 30 years—it’s hard to believe it’s come this quick—she’s had sex with guards. She’s got attention for her social media opportunities. She has got sugar daddies that can’t wait till she gets out, help support her,” Pope remarked.
Pope said David Smith plans to join him in opposing Susan Smith’s parole. In an interview with Court TV, David Smith expressed enduring pain, struggling to remember his sons. He stated that while he has forgiven Susan Smith, her release after 30 years would not serve justice for the crime she committed. “You have no idea of how much damage you have done to so many people,” David Smith stated. “In my capabilities, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you stay behind bars.”
Pope intends to remind the parole board that when jurors rejected the death penalty, they believed a life sentence meant the entirety of her life, not just 30 years. He anticipates that Susan Smith will personally appeal to the parole board, using the same strategy that shocked the nation—a mother doing the unthinkable to her own children—to garner sympathy.
“She’s been rehearsing what she’ll say to the parole board for 30 years,” Pope concluded.