Parole hearing set for mother who drowned her sons 30 years ago
By Jennifer Emert
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UNION, South Carolina (WLOS) — The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services has set a parole hearing date for notorious murderer Susan Smith.The hearing is set as this week marks the 30th anniversary of the horrific crime.
Smith was found guilty of two counts of murder in the death of her boys, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander, in 1995. She was sentenced to life in prison.What jurors couldn’t be told back then was a life sentence still made an individual in South Carolina eligible for parole after 30 years.
Smith falsely reported that the boys were carjacked on Oct. 25, 1994, by a Black man she claimed put a gun to her side and told her to, “Shut up and drive” after she was stopped at a Union intersection. Smith also claimed that he eventually made her get out of the car, while driving off with her boys. The incident sparked a nationwide search for the man, the car, and the boys.
Smith later confessed she had pushed the car into John D. Long Lake. The boys were found strapped in their car seats, too young and with no way to escape. Their bodies were pulled from the lake nine days later after Susan penned a handwritten confession.
The parole hearing for Smith will be held on Nov. 20, 2024.
The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services has noted an escalation in media and public attention related to Smith’s Parole eligibility. Smith is eligible for parole starting Nov. 4. Immediately following the parole hearing, a press conference will be held in Columbia, South Carolina.
On Aug. 26, in advance of her upcoming parole hearing, Smith was charged with communicating with a victim and or witness.
The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services has noted an escalation in media and public attention related to Smith’s Parole eligibility. Smith is eligible for parole starting Nov. 4. Immediately following the parole hearing, a press conference will be held in Columbia, South Carolina.
On Aug. 26, in advance of her upcoming parole hearing, Smith was charged with communicating with a victim and or witness.
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