Relatives of Susan Smith, a South Carolina native who was imprisoned in 1994 for killing her two sons, say that she will face the possibility of getting out on parole.
According to Smith's relatives, she has come up with four possible arguments to use in front of the parole board in six weeks — including one stating that she has been mostly good during her incarceration.
“She believes she might be a free woman in less than two months,” a relative told The New York Post . “And she’s hoping that [the parole hearing] will go her way. She’s put all her hopes in that basket and she’s manifesting her freedom.”
According to the outlet, Smith will attempt to argue that she grew up in a sexually abusive environment which skewed her sense of right and wrong. “She has a different moral compass than other people, because of her trauma,” stated the relative. “It really did a number on her.”
Smith, now 52, is also allegedly planning to argue that she was not in her right mind as a young mother. Smith allegedly plans to add that at the time, she was suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness. The woman, who was 22 years old at the time, was imprisoned after she let her car roll into the John D. Long Lake in Union County, South Carolina while her boys — 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander — were strapped into their car seats.
Smith then reportedly told police that a black man had stolen her car and kidnapped the boys. The false accusations led to a witchhunt with authorities knocking on every door of local neighborhoods that were predominantly black. Smith and her then-husband appeared on the national news pleading for the safe return of their children.
However, nine days into the search, Smith confessed to police that there was no carjacking and that she had intentionally murdered her children. Her reason: She was allegedly having an affair with a wealthy man who didn't want to have children. Smith was subsequently convicted of murder and given life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
The woman has reportedly attempted to use her mental state as a defense before. “Mr. Cahill, I am not the monster society thinks I am. I am far from it,” she wrote in a 2015 letter to Harrison Cahill, a reporter with The State . “Something went very wrong that night. I was not myself. There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. I was not in my right mind.”
In the letter, Smith revealed that she thought about ending her life. "I didn’t know how to tell the people who loved Michael and Alex that they would never see them again,” she wrote. “I had planned to kill myself first and leave a note behind telling what had happened. I didn’t believe I could face my family when the truth was revealed."
Smith's third defense is reportedly bringing up the fact that she was disciplined in 2000 for having sex with two guards while behind bars. According to the woman, the sex was not consensual due to the underlying power dynamics of the prison.
“I was a victim,” she reportedly told a friend who came to visit her in 2023, court documents read. “I had sex with them both because I didn’t feel like I had a choice.” Finally, Smith reportedly plans to argue that she had turned her life around while in prison.
“She’s grown into a mature woman,” the family member told The Post. “And she thinks she can thrive outside of prison. Despite her family rallying around her, the father of the kids has been extremely vocal about the board denying the parole.
According to an interview with CourtTV, David Smith said that he planned to write a letter or make a public speech against her release. “I’m going to remind them what she did and who the victims were in this case,” David Smith said. “Certainly not her.”
Experts have stated that they do not believe Smith's bid will meet with success. However, the inmate seems to be optimistic about her chances. She allegedly told someone in jail that she thinks "it’s time" and “I’ve paid my debt. I deserve to be released. I’m no longer a danger to anyone. Just let me live my life.”
Local News
