Susan Smith, convicted of killing her two sons in 1994, may be eligible for parole

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Smith was sentenced to life in prison, avoiding the death penalty. While in prison, she had a history of violations, including engaging in sexual activity with officers in 2000.

Nearly 30 years after Susan Smith was convicted of driving her car into a South Carolina lake and drowning her two sons, Susan Smith is eligible for parole.

Smith, 53, is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 1995 and avoided the death penalty after a widely publicized trial. Her two children, Michael and Alex, were 3 years and 14 months old respectively.

Under South Carolina law at the time, Smith could petition the state for release after serving 30 years.

The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardons announced Monday that Smith’s parole hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20. The hearing will be held online and Smith will join from prison.

The lead prosecutor in her trial, Tommy Pope, told USA TODAY that Smith should not be granted parole.

“I believe in truth in all sentencing, and I believe the sentence should be exactly what the jury returned, which is that the woman will spend the remainder of her natural life in prison,” said Pope, who is now a Republican speaker pro tem South Carolina Chambers.

Pope confirmed that he and the boys’ father, David Smith, plan to testify before the parole board to oppose Smith’s release. Pope believes Smith felt no remorse during the nearly three decades he spent behind bars.

“I would like to refer to the parole board that Susan Smith was not thinking about Michael and Alex,” he said. “Susan Smith focused on what was best for Susan, and that is clearly what she has done from day one of this crime.”

USA TODAY was unable to locate an attorney representing Smith.

A case known all over the world

Smith rose to fame in 1994 when she said her car was stolen late one night near Union, South Carolina. She said an African-American man took her car with her two children inside.

For nine days she begged for the return of her two boys, but later found her car and children at the bottom of a nearby lake. She admitted to letting her car roll off the boat ramp into the lake and thus fabricating the entire story.

“She deceived people for so many days that their hearts were worn out to help find Michael and Alex,” Pope said. “In that context, I was a lawyer, a district attorney, and I made the decision to seek the death penalty.”

The case took place around the same time as the OJ Simpson murder trial, which was another media frenzy.

“The OJ case was really the first courtroom introduction, with media participation, to the criminal justice system that applies to people. The Smith case was caught in the middle of this,” Pope said.

Pope said the presiding judge in Smith’s case did not allow cameras into the courtroom, but it nonetheless became part of a national conversation.

Smith has a history of prison violations

Smith racked up a long list of violations while in prison. According to the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network, they were subject to disciplinary proceedings by the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

According to Chrysti Shain, a department spokeswoman, Smith was disciplined for communicating with a documentary filmmaker about her crimes, which is contrary to corrections policy. Smith was charged with trespass on Aug. 26, found guilty on Oct. 3 and banned from using her phone, tablet and cafeteria for 90 days.

In 2000, Smith was also found to have engaged in sexual activity with two corrections officers during her stay at the Women’s Correctional Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Both officers involved were fired and Smith was transferred to another facility.

She was also punished many times for mutilating or damaging a prisoner’s body through her own fault, as well as for using drugs.

What is the parole process like in South Carolina?

To be granted parole, Smith would need to receive a two-thirds vote of the seven-member parole board.

According to Anita Dantzler, director of public information for the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardons, it is customary for the committee to cast its vote at the end of the hearing.

Contributor: Terry Benjamin II, Greenville News

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a popular news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him at X @fern_cerv_.