Susan had a troubled childhood, which was plagued with suicide attempts and traumatizing events. She said she wanted to kill herself and her children, but in the end she got out of the car and sent the boys to their deaths. I can see this may be a bit difficult for you because you are a bit boy crazy, but as the proverb states `good things come to those who wait. I am not saying you shouldnt go out and have a good time. The car apparently took almost six minutes to disappear-and Michael and Alex, trusting and helpless, can only have died screaming for their mother. She soon became pregnant and they decided to get married. The world watched as townspeople searched fields and forests; as Smith went on national television with her estranged husband, David, and pleaded for the return of their sons; and as the sheriff, after nine long days, delivered the horrible truth, that the boys weren't missing but had been murdered - not by any black man, but by Susan Smith herself. . Her confession of pushing the car into the lake began to come out. Tom and Susan quickly began a casual relationship in January 1994, but in the spring David became part of her life again, and the two resumed their marriage. SC State House FOR THIS NEWSWEEK POLL, PRINCETON SURVEY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES TELEPHONED 752 ADULTS JULY 27-28. Thank you for your article. The divorce apparently led her millworker father, Harry Vaughan, to commit suicide one month later, an event that may have helped create the emotional vacuum that has haunted her ever since. However, some feel it will never be forgotten. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Susan Smiths childhood was disturbing. We are the home of true crimeMade with in Brazil. ", That was the bitter end of a tumultuous, too-early marriage. [2] They still receive gifts. But I am very thankful that there are people like you who are not so selfish as I am, and dont mind bearing the responsibility of children. With the promotion came a new life for Susan. See the 'Counting On' Kids' Houses, Look How Much the Little Couple's Kids Will and Zoey Have Grown Up, Every Look From the Kardashian-Jenner Family at the 2021 Met Gala, Gabby Petito's Texts Show 'More and More Tension' With Brian Laundrie, 'Welcome to Plathville' Kim Plath's DUI Case Closed: Fine, More Details, Sister Wives Kody, Robyn Were With a Mystery Blonde: Identity Revealed, Megan Fox and MGK's Relationship Is 'Toxic': 'There Is Concern for Her', Farrah Abraham Slams Mom-Shamers Over Daughter Sophias Piercings, Jon Gosselin Is 'Open' With Kids Collin, Hannah About Their Dating Lives. Russell signed a statement admitting his conduct and the family sought counseling-but Susan and her mother said they didn't want to prosecute. If Smith in fact was rational, why risk a police investigation? The relationship deteriorated more and more. The outcome flatly contradicts current public opinion. Smith's lawyers said in opening statements there was "no single reason" why Smith killed her children and insisted they would not attempt to portray her as a victim or use the "abuse excuse," a reference to Russell's admitted molestation of Smith when she was 16. "They thought she should get a death sentence." ", To prosecutors, Findlay's emphasis on the children was Smith's motive for murder. "I asked her what's wrong," Williams said. ", Paul Patrick, a florist, says, "It was a real tragedy but I don't think anybody's still dwelling on it three years later. Whether you are using plastic or fabric containers, Earthboxes, or even old buttercream buckets, there are a few important things to consider before planting. They also heard from state and federal investigators who told of Smith's fake tears, curious smiles and furious outbursts as they confronted her with the mounting evidence that she was involved in the disappearance of 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex Smith. ``This is a difficult letter for me to write because I know how much you think of me. Tom Findlay testified as a prosecution witness at the trial-for in the prosecution's view, he was the real reason Susan killed her boys. Brown or any other married man for that matter, you will lose your self-respect. ", June Miller, the clerk of court, says, "It's over and done with and we go on with our lives.". On the other hand, he sounds quite narcissistic and preachy in his Dear John letter, and he isnt even attractive. Due to a tumultuous marriage between her parents, full of aggression, they divorced when she was seven years old, and soon after, her father Harry, at the age of 37, committed suicide. ``But dont be discouraged. Pastors who together counseled the inconsolable community became close friends. Early this year, the state moved the monuments 50 yards from the water, to the wooded edge of the access road. A letter. He noted that as good as Smiths children may be, the fact was he did not want any children. I would hate for people to perceive you as an unreputable [sic] person. TOM FINDLAY'S TESTIMONY: Keep scrolling below to find out more about Susan Smiths case, trial and to find out where she is today. ``One more thing before I go, please dont ever hesitate to call me if you ever need anything! "What's wrong?" Buildings don't tell the whole story, that Susan Smith did not simply wake up one day and decide to kill her children, that it was a lot more complicated than that. He hired Smith as an assistant to his executive assistant in 1994, and she got to know his son while working at the Conso plant. Susan Smith is an American criminal who was found guilty of killing her two young sons in order to continue a relationship with a man. Williams testified about a conversation with Susan Smith on Oct. 17, eight days before the murders: "I have a problem," Smith said. . After initially standing by Susans side until he learned the truth and then grieving over the small caskets of his boys at their funeral while Susanwas in jail, it now appears David has been able to move on. Then Susan told him she and David were going through with the divorce, Findlay said, and he resumed their affair. But on Oct. 16, Findlay testified, Smith acknowledged she was not even separated from her husband. Brackett, who is still something of a spokesman for Union's black community. They made a point of showing jurors the videotaped interviews in which Smith tearfully maintained the kidnapping hoax. Although Russell clearly initiated sexual contact, the case file suggests Susan may have led him on. After she made emotional pleas on television for the safe return of her children, the incident gained worldwide media attention. The highway sign simply reads John D. Long Lake. "Really, I think this is an example of how little this situation is on the minds of people who live here. (Cary Findlay has denied any involvement with Smith.) All Rights Reserved. Chicago Tribune On the outside everything looked good, but Susan carried with her a big family secret. Smith's mother and stepfather are still around. "Dear Susan," Findlay said. Susans thenhusband David Smith is nowremarried and a father again. The judge took into consideration the abuse suffered by the defendant. THE BOYFRIEND'S STORY. She went to Lake John D. Long and drove up a ramp, got out of the car, put the car in movement, released the parking brake and watched the car, with her children sleeping in the back seat, sank into the lake. For. . However, a letter sent by Tom Findlay took Susan by surprise. The psychiatric view was that Smith is a uniquely fragile person who had concealed her emotional conflicts for years. Linda Vaughan married stockbroker Beverly Russell, the son of a leading local family, about a year and a half later. Her descent began with the divorce of her parents in 1977, when Susan was 6 years old. ``Anyhow, as I have already told you, you are a very special person. Miller saved videos of local newscasts and the Smiths' network interviews, and recently appeared in a Smith documentary for the Arts and Entertainment Network. David never questioned the paternity of the child despite their separation. ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT They came because it was the third anniversary of the brothers' deaths. I want you to know that I have never felt with anyone, the way I feel when I'm with you. And Susan Smith thought she had him hooked. "We'll never really be the same. On October 25, 1994, a then 23-year-old married mother of two sons, Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina, rolledher car into John D. Long Lake with herboys strapped inside, drowningthem both. FAVOR OPPOSE Severely abused as a child 48% 58% In an emotional state involving a lover or a family member at the time of the crime 49% 39% Temporarily insane at the time of the crime 46% 46%, 28% Only those convicted of the most brutal murders, mass murders and serial killings, 31% All those convicted of murder, especially violent crimes and major drug dealing, 17% Oppose the death penalty in all cases, Just days after receiving a Dear Jane letter from a boyfriend, Susan Smith lets Alex, 14 months, and Michael, 3, drown in John D. Long Lake. I am compiling information about sexual misconduct in the US correctional system for a research paper and would like to include the facts of that case, if those facts are available for review. My heart breaks for what I've done to you, for your pain and for your loss. Susan asked Sheriff Wells to pray with her, and then she began to cry and say how ashamed she felt for what she had done. We are just two totally different people, and eventually, those differences would cause us to break up. Tom Findlay's letter, as gentle as it tried to be, had brought Susan Smith in direct and brutal contact with her own lies, deceit, narcissism, and lust. He quickly pulled her out of his office. , the woman who killed her young sons in 1994, will be explored in the upcoming Lifetime docuseries. There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. Such a position also gave her the chance to get close to her boss son, one of Unions most desired bachelors, Tom Findlay. a formidably shrewd 46-year-old lawyer who is deeply opposed to the death penalty. The letter is a classic of its caddish kind; Findlay read it aloud in court. Susan and David Smith were married on March 15, 1991 and moved into Davids great-grandmothers home; the two could not afford to buy a house. The mom of two made headlines at the time of the news due to her shocking motive and she has since been behaving herself behind bars, which means she could soon be a free woman. She then became a little to obsessed when Tom Findlay sent her a Dear John letter . Their last meetings came on Oct. 25 at the Conso plant. The marriage was a step up: Susan and her brothers, Michael and Scotty, moved into a comfortable ranch house in Mount Vernon Estates, an upscale subdivision outside Union. Russell published a book in 2000 titled My Daughter Susan Smith where she detailed her daughters rocky childhood and background in an attempt to understand and explain why she did what she did. "Every time we think it's all behind us, it comes up again," says June Miller, Union County's longtime clerk of court. Jurors in Susan Smith's murder trial heard the words written by an ex-boyfriend that prosecutors say drove the young mother to kill her two sons: ``I just don't want children.'' In a letter to Smith written a week before 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex were drowned in a lake, Tom Findlay described her as ``intelligent, beautiful, TRUE CRIME - CURRENT TRIALS, OLD or COLD CASES, Harvest Delicious Red Tomatoes with Red Rocket in Hot Climates South of Memphis, Tomatoes are a popular and versatile crop that can be grown in many climates, but it is important to choose the right variety for your climate. Smith ended her marriage to the poor boy who loved her and gambled on a rich boy who didn't. After the interview, Susan met with Sheriff Wells for another questioning. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. ". But the marriage slowly un-raveled. In Northern California, side grafting wasnt very successful either. Now, at Foster Park, there's a new set of playground equipment, and a marker, in memory of the Smith boys. But after that, Susan was severely punished for exposing what was described by her mother as family conflicts. Appearances seemed to matter more than her daughters well-being. Patrick is in there. But at Patrick's shop, he keeps a pocket paperback of "Sins of the Mother," one of many books published on the Smith case. Citizens support the death penalty in general, but frequently refuse to apply it when, as in the Smith case, they are confronted with a face, a name and human frailties that, however lurid, bear at least some resemblance to their own. Yet nobody talks about his guy or where he is or what other girls he has been doing. I was not in my right mind.. ", Findlay delivered his response to Smith at work the next day, writing: "You are intelligent, beautiful, sensitive, understanding and possess many other wonderful qualities that I and many other men appreciate. Where is Bev Berverly Russell? With the boys' at her side, Smith issues a national appeal for help. night and would take it back in a (heart-shaped design) beat if I could. Despite its steamy undertones--despite the ripe mixture of family dysfunction and sexual shenanigans-the Smith case is ultimately a story of heartbreaking human loss. "But like I have told you before,there are some things about you that aren't suited to me, and yes, I am speaking about your children. "She was crying--she was very upset," Findlay said. On Oct. 17, according to Findlay, Smith gave him a greeting card and a handwritten letter accepting their breakup with equanimity and pledging her eternal friendship, saying, "I will always love and care for you the rest of my life. ``I do hope that we will be able to date some and be together again someday, but if we never made love again, my feelings for you would not change because having you as my friend is worth more than sex could ever be worth. In the summer of 1988, Susan got a temporary job as a cashier at a local grocery store. ", It was not her loss alone. Bruck had it exactly right. ", She went to his office later the same day to return an Auburn University sweat shirt that belonged to Findlay. "Susan, I could really fall for you," he continued. . Findlay, a slight, balding graphic designer, appeared to exchange a quick half-smile with Smith from the stand during a break in his testimony about their brief fling, which he said began around Christmastime of 1993 and ended the following March when David Smith angrily warned him to stay away from his wife. Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for Timothy McVeigh if he is convicted of the bombing in Oklahoma City? I dont blame him for declining interviews and book deals and disappearing. Michael and Alex Smith were buried together in the same casket in the Bogansville United Methodist Church cemetery on November 6, 1994, next to the grave of Davids brother and the childrens uncle, Danny Smith. Last year, I grew Fortamino but the seeds didnt do well at all. They were buckled into their car seats when their mother stepped out, lowered the emergency brake and let the car roll down the steep ramp, into the deep water. Suspicious authorities directly confront Smith after a futile nine-day search. All the time, people bring them gifts. On October 25, 1994, the Union native, who was 23 years old at the time, called the police and claimed an armed black man stole her car and drove off with her two sons inside. The man she wrote about was a graphic artist named Tom Findlay, who enthralled the court with details of a stormy relationship that came to a head on October 25, 1994. Since that day twenty years ago, the town of Union, S.C. has also moved on. So, where are all of the key players now, including the woman at the center of it all? The boat ramp is gone. premieres Friday, June 4, at 10 p.m. on Lifetime. If you want to catch a nice guy like me one day, you have to act like a nice girl. He said her family history was just "the abuse excuse.". Idania Pena sent a letter from Miami: "In loving memory of two beautiful creatures that perished in the hands of the person they most trusted: their own mother. She will be eligible for parole in 2025 when she is 53 years old. Tom Findlay, Susan Smith's ex-lover, started a new life in Birmingham, Ala. Cary Findlay, who is Tom Findlay's father and Susan Smith's former employer, let his mansion become a. The solution for the moment seemed to be to buy a house, where everything would be different. "He that is without sin among you," Bruck said, "let him first cast a stone at her. They were screaming, weren't they, and that's why you killed them?" Other key figures in the case have gone on to both fame and failure. I have never felt so needed. During her adolescence Susan became popular at school, she was a very attractive young woman and seemed to take leading positions in school activities. She claimed that she did not see any other cars on the road, but the light turned red. . What the jurors heard was the fullest account yet of why she did it--and in the end, confronted with the pathos of it all, they decided both sides were right. Before she and David began to date, Susan told a psychiatrist, she had an affair with a store manager who was subsequently transferred out of town. Susan had asked if Tom had said anything about her, but he didnt say anything. I mean, one minute you were a kid, and the next minute you were having kids. And I want you to know that I am flattered that you have such a high opinion of me. "That's one of the things that helped the healing process," says the Rev. I remembered how I hurt Laura, and I wont let that happen again; and therefore, I cant let myself get close to you. During his ex-wifes trial, he visited her once in jail to get answers as to why she did what she did but got nothing. Susans ex, Tom Findlay, ironically went on to find happiness with a girlfriend and HER TWO KIDS! "Everything I had planned on, my life with my kids, was gone. There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. Brackett is grateful for the fellowship that grew from the Smith case. This development led to Smiths arrest and confession that she was behind her childrens tragic deaths. When it all came apart, she committed an act of savagery that defies understanding. The contempt for Susan was overwhelming, not only because of the racial tension triggered by the false accusation of a black man, but because her motive was extremely futile and selfish: to get rid of her children in order to maintain a relationship with a rich man. Smith was separated from her now-ex-husband, and started dating. I was not in my right mind., In July 1995, Smith was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, which is around the corner in November 2024. But her composure crumbled when the diver who found her two small sons in her car at the bottom of John D. Long Lake took the stand. And as for your relationship with B. Susan could not continue working at the same place as David, so she looked for a new job. The jury found otherwise -- a tacit recognition that the core issue was whether Smith was mentally ill. South Carolina's definition of insanity is one of the most restrictive in the nation: it did not permit Smith to plead not guilty by reason of insanity or, more plausibly, temporary, insanity. ", Findlay went on to write: "Susan, I could really fall for you. Brazilian, 28 years old, medical professional. Susan Smith's nervous paramour cast doubt today on charges that she killed her children to pursue their romance, saying Smith's anguish actually stemmed from a recent affair with her own stepfather. For nine days, she pleaded for the safe return of her babies while making appearances on television, only to have the, Many people believe her motive was because she was dating a man who didnt want children at the time. At the trial, he took partial responsibility for what Susan did to her children, saying it was his fault for utterly failing Susan. They contacted two of the nation's largest newspapers, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, to suggest a news item. " They argued there was no evidence, as the defense claimed, that Smith had driven to the lake to commit suicide. ', Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. David Smith worked in the store as a produce clerk. Shortly after joining the company she was promoted to the position of executive secretary to Consos president and CEO, Carey Findlay. "And she said, Everything.' On Oct. 18, Findlay wrote Smith, breaking off the relationship because he did "not want the responsibility of children." Over the next week,. In Touch Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. If you want to catch a nice guy like me one day, you have to act like a nice girl. Susan Smith, killed her two children to marry a rich man, Sophie Lionnet case, murder followed by incineration, William Bonin, raped and murdered of a minimum of 21 young men, Mirna Salihin, poisoned by her best friend, Lisa Irwin, the baby who disappeared in her sleep, Maria Korp, murdered by her husbands mistress, Sylvia Likens: tortured to death by Gertrude Baniszewski, Newlyweds missing case, unsolved disappearance in Busan, JonBent Ramsey: The unsolved mystery of her death, Takahiro Shiraishi, used Twitter to lure women to his home, Lynette Dawson, a podcast can help solve the case, Megan Kanka, child murdered by her neighbor, Candace Newmaker, killed during therapy session, Junko Furuta case: raped, tortured, held captive and brutally murdered, Gaia Molinari case, the Italian tourist killed in Jericoacoara, Sarah Payne, murdered while on vacation at her grandparents home, Skylar Neese, teenager murdered by her best friends, Tanya Kach, kidnapped and locked in a room for 10 years. Im appreciative of your honesty with me. He broke it off sometime in March, Findlay said, after David Smith caught them talking on the phone and angrily warned him to stay away from Susan. Susan was devastated by the end of her relationship with Tom. Is Every Duggar Ridiculously Messy? . A.L. The sheriff wanted to find the bodies first, and then call David to tell him the truth. Shell have to keep behaving herself like she has been as of late, an insider told People in November 2020. He was considered twenty years ago to be the most eligible bachelor in Union, as the son of a wealthy mill owner. Susan Smith's attorney, David Bruck, summed up the case as bad for all, calling it "an awful human tragedy." Join the world's news leader for an in-depth multimedia look at the top news stories of 1995. . She asks the sheriff to pray with her, then confesses to the murders and tells police where to find the boys. Her experience as an accountant earned her a position at Conso Products. But unfortunately, it won't be me. The most startling testimony, however, came from Smith's ex-lover, Thomas Findlay, who said aloud in open court what has been whispered in this small Southern town since Susan Smith confessed to murder last fall -- that she had been having a secret affair with her stepfather, Beverly Russell. Susan felt indebted to her mother and allowed her to dictate the rules. . As I told you, I was starting to let my heart warm up to the idea of us going out as more than just friends. "She proceeded to tell me she had had an affair with her stepfather and she told me she had a sexual relationship with my father . She reddened slightly and stared back at him. The letter about the reasons for the breakup, written by Tom, was also inside the car. At 11 that night, Smith called Williams and said she wouldn't be at work the next day. "She said, 'I'm going to give you this; I may not see you again'," Findlay recalled. "Had I been true to you in my responsibilities, you would have been stronger in yourself, not needing to be constantly supported and reassured emotionally. Sources (The divorce was granted after her arrest. Crime.About.com Susan Smith chose to do the worst thing a mother can do and covered it up, Pope argued, pushing for the death penalty. What got into Susan Smith's mind that night, only the devil knows. Since she said there were no other cars on the road, there was no reason for her to see the red light. ``Once again, Im sorry for Sat. Susan Smith was both perpetrator and victim. This happened when David and Susan's marriage was in jeopardy and had already filed for divorce. Russell, 48, was then active in South Carolina Republican politics and in Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition--but he is no longer, and the shattering disclosures triggered by his stepdaughter's prosecution are the reason. Smith's natural father committed suicide when she was 6. The prosecution's main weapon was tear-drenched testimony from a vengeful David Smith, who accepted a box of tissues from Judge William Howard. To help restore its pride, Union leaders last year started a weekend festival. With Findlay, Susan finally believed she would be able to have some stability in her life but, she was mistaken. ", But the letters, both friendly in tone, did not reveal what witnesses described as Smith's growing anxiety or her ploys for attention from Findlay, who said she gratefully described his "Dear Susan" missive as "the sweetest letter she'd ever gotten.". They still credit him for containing a potentially volatile racial divide by refusing to detain the many black men who might have fit Smith's description of her hijacker. Im sure that your kids are good kids, but it really wouldnt matter how good they may be the fact is, I just dont want children. State police investigator David Caldwell testified that Smith was first accused of killing her sons just a day after they disappeared. They parked on the ramp. Something went very wrong that night. And your friendship is one that I will always look upon with sincere affection. During one of their separations, Susan began having a relationship with Tom Findlay, who was known as one of the most eligible bachelors in Union. Excerpts from a letter Susan Smith wrote to Tom Findlay on Oct. 17, and his reply, written the same day and given to her Oct. 18. Killing her sons was a horrifying act that bespeaks a personality crisis: at that moment, she must have been emotionally numb. Which is the lie? I am shocked how nobody speaks of him yet he casued so much harm by modeling Susan at 15 AND kept on having sex with Susan his dauther after Susan got maried. That poor. Bev stayed away from the family for a few weeks, but after a few sessions of family counseling he returned to normal family life. WISTV An autopsy of the children proved that the two boys were still alive when they were submerged in the water. "I'll never forget what Susan has done to me and my family, [and] I even have to say, to her family," Smith said. Final testimony for the prosecution includes a tearful David Smith saying, 'All my hopes and dreams, everything that I had planned for the rest of my life-it ended that day. I was a good mother, and I loved my boys. You will without a doubt make some lucky man a great wife. But seeing you kiss another man put things back into perspective. She gained the . At the age of 16 her stepfather started to molest her. Amazon Findlay ended their relationship one week before Smith reported the children missing and he later gave investigators a copy of the letter in which he explained his feelings. If a mother who deliberately drowns her children in a pique over a failed romance doesn't deserve to die, who does? Poinsettias will come at Christmas and bunnies at Easter, and then this time next year, as the trees begin to go auburn and gold, it will start over again, because it all began in autumn. The following year, prison captain Alfred Rowe also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and was sentenced to five years probation. You are intelligent, beautiful, sensitive, understanding, and possess many other wonderful qualities that I and many other men appreciate. She is currently serving his sentence at Leath Correctional Institution in South Carolina. This year, as the bands and barbecue mavens set up, television trucks arrived on Main Street, but not for anybody's sauce recipe. This compact, bushy plant produces bright red tomatoes that ripen early in the season. Where he is convicted of the children proved that the two boys were still when. 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