Susan Smith, the South Carolina mother who killed both her sons, has an upcoming parole hearing next month that might end up in her release. She was convicted of murder and instead of facing the death penalty, she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. She has got a set of arguments up her sleeve that she believes will grant her release but, is it really safe to let her out into the public again? Has she learned her lesson and is she genuinely remorseful for her sons’ deaths?
What Susan Smith Has Done
In October 1994, Susan Smith, then 22, strapped her sons, Michael, three, and Alexander, 14 months, into the back seat of her car, and watched as she let the car roll into John D. Lake in Union County and let her sons drown. It took six minutes for both boys to drown and pass away. After that, she spent nine days claiming to investigators and the press that an African-American carjacker stole the car and drowned the kids in it.
Former Union County prosecutor and now a South Carolina state representative, Tommy Pope, told Fox News Digital that he didn’t believe her. Based on his experience, he believed that she had the kids hidden somewhere and that a carjacker wouldn’t take children. Pope also recalls the difference between Susan Smith’s reaction and that of her then-husband, David Smith. Susan looked “kind of giddy” about being on TV, while David looked like how anyone would after learning that his sons were kidnapped.
Why Smith’s Release is Concerning
Firstly, the motive behind the killing. She offed her sons because Tom Findlay, a man she was having an extramarital affair with, told her that “while he was interested in her romantically, he was not suited to raise children,” in a letter written by him, per the Birmingham News report. Findlay was the son of a local, wealthy business owner, and Smith envisioned a life of luxury with him, so she thought that getting rid of the children would be the solution.
Secondly, Smith was involved in sexual relations with prison guards during her imprisonment, and Pope said that she’s got “Facebook friends and sugar daddies waiting for her to get out,” which shows that she’s far from being remorseful about her sons’ deaths. She has also had several infractions in 2010 and 2015 for having narcotics or marijuana behind bars. So, shouldn’t someone keen on getting out show initiatives that they have changed for the better? So far, there is no proof of that.
What Susan Smith Plans on Doing
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
One of Susan Smith’s relatives talked to The New York Post about her plans and arguments. They said that she’ll argue that she grew up in an abusive household that distorted her vision of right and wrong, which led to her “wrong” decision to kill the children. In addition, she will argue that being a mother took its toll on her and she may have suffered from some mental illness in its wake. Moreover, she will argue that the relations between her and the prison guards were never consensual and that they were abusing their power. Finally, she will argue that she has kept a steady job there and has had no disciplinary actions against her in almost a decade.
Susan Smith has high hopes for her release but her former husband, David Smith, and other prominent figures, such as Pope, are all opposed to her release. Furthermore, there is a Facebook page dedicated to Michael and Alexander Smith. The page has been encouraging its followers to submit letters to the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services to show opposition to Smith’s release.
Final Thoughts
Whether Smith deserves a second chance at life or not is eventually up to the parole board. However, the murder of two innocent children in cold blood should not go unnoticed, and whether 30 years in prison is enough punishment or not is debatable. No one knows if Susan Smith’s high hopes are rightly placed or if the opposition will win in this hearing, and see her spend the rest of her life in jail.
