Susan Smith

For other people named Susan Smith, see Susan Smith (disambiguation).
Susan Smith

Susan Smith in 2007
Born Susan Leigh Vaughan
(1971-09-26) September 26, 1971
Union, South Carolina, U.S.
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment with a possibility of parole after 30 years
Criminal status Incarcerated at Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood County, South Carolina
Spouse(s) David Smith (m. 1991; div. 1995)[1]
Children Michael Daniel (1991–1994)
Alexander Tyler (1993–1994)
Parent(s) Linda Sue Harrison and Harry Ray Vaughan
Conviction(s) Two counts of murder

Susan Leigh Vaughan-Smith (born September 26, 1971) is an American convict who was sentenced to life in prison for filicide. Born in Union, South Carolina, she is a former student of the University of South Carolina. On July 22, 1995, she was convicted of the drowning deaths of her two sons, three-year-old Michael Daniel Smith, and 14-month-old Alexander Tyler Smith.[2]

The case gained worldwide attention shortly after it developed, due to her false claim that a black man carjacked her maroon Mazda Protegé and kidnapped her two sons. Her defense attorneys, David Bruck and Judy Clarke, presented expert testimony that she suffered from mental health issues that impaired her judgment when she committed the crimes.[3]

According to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Smith will be eligible for parole on November 4, 2024, after serving a minimum of 30 years. She is incarcerated at South Carolina's Leath Correctional Institution, near Greenwood.[4]

Case

On October 25, 1994, Smith reported to police that her vehicle had been carjacked by a black man who drove away with her sons still in it. For nine days, she made dramatic pleas on national television for their rescue and return. However, following an intensive investigation and a nationwide search, on November 3, 1994, she confessed to letting her 1990 Mazda roll into nearby John D. Long Lake,[5] drowning the boys inside.[6] Her motivation was reportedly to be able to have a relationship with a local wealthy man, even though he had no intention of forming a family.[7]

Later investigation revealed that detectives always doubted Smith's testimony, and believed that she murdered her sons. On the second day of the investigation, the police, suspecting that she knew their location, hoped that they were still alive. Investigators started to search the nearby lakes and ponds, including John D. Long Lake, where their bodies were eventually found. Initial searches did not uncover the car because the police believed it would be within 30 feet off the shore, and did not search farther; it turned out to be 60 feet from the shore. After the boys were missing for two days, Smith and her estranged husband David, were subjected to a polygraph test. The biggest breakthrough of the case was her description of the carjacking location. Smith had claimed that a traffic light had turned red causing her to stop at an otherwise empty intersection. However, it was determined that the signal would not have changed to red for her unless a vehicle was present on the intersecting road. This conflicted with Smith's statement that she did not see any other cars at the intersection when the carjacking took place. [8]

Smith's defense psychiatrist diagnosed her with dependent personality disorder and major depression.[9] Her father committed suicide when she was six years old, and she rarely had a stable home life. It was disclosed in her trial that she was molested in her teens by her stepfather, who not only admitted to it, but also revealed that he had consensual sex with her when she was an adult. At 13, she attempted suicide. After graduating from high school in 1989, she made a second attempt to end her own life.[10] She married David and had the two sons, but the relationship was rocky due to mutual allegations of infidelity, and they separated several times. Smith said that there was no motive, nor did she plan the killings, stating that she was not in the right state of mind.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rekers, George (1996). Susan Smith: Victim Or Murderer. Glenbridge Publishing Ltd. pp. 12, 16. ISBN 0-944435-38-6.
  2. ↑ Spitz, D.J. (2006): Investigation of Bodies in Water. In: Spitz, W.U. & Spitz, D.J. (eds): Spitz and Fisher’s Medicolegal Investigation of Death. Guideline for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigations (Fourth edition), Charles C. Thomas, pp.: 846–881; Springfield, Illinois.
  3. ↑ "Susan Smith, Mother Who Killed Kids:". NBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "Inmate Details Susan Smith." (Page Archive, Image Archive) South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
  5. ↑ "John D. Long Lake". scgreatoutdoors.com. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Charles Montaldo. "Susan Smith — Profile of a Child Killer". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Kemp, Kathy (17 April 2005). "In The Arms of Angels" (PDF). Birmingham News. Birmingham, Alabama.
  8. ↑ CAHILL, HARRISON (18 October 2014). "Susan Smith: 20 years later, case still a shocker". The State. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Child murderer or victim?". Trutv.com.
  10. ↑ Pergament, Rachel. "Susan Smith Child Murderer or Victim?". truTV Crime Library. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  11. ↑ http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/susan-smith-mother-who-killed-kids-something-went-very-wrong-n397051

Further reading

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