Thirty-one years after Susan Smith confessed to drowning her two young sons, she remains behind bars serving a life sentence.
In October 1994, the young South Carolina mother initially claimed that a Black man had carjacked her vehicle with her two toddlers inside. Nine days later, she admitted there had been no carjacking — she had driven her car into a lake, allowing it to submerge with her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander, strapped inside.
Her alleged motive was tied to a relationship with local businessman Tom Findlay, who did not want children. Hoping to preserve that relationship, Smith killed her sons. Now serving a life sentence since 1995, she maintains she is misunderstood.
“I am not the monster society thinks I am,” she wrote in a 2015 letter to The State newspaper. “Something went very wrong that night. I was not myself. I was a good mother and I loved my boys. There was no motive … I was not in my right mind.”
After nearly three decades in prison, Smith became eligible for parole in November 2024 — but was denied.
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Serving Life in Prison Since 1995
Smith confessed nine days after the murders, and her sons’ bodies were found on Nov. 4, 1994. Her trial began in July 1995, where prosecutors sought the death penalty, arguing she killed her children to maintain her relationship with Findlay.
Her defense claimed she was suicidal and mentally ill, intending to kill herself alongside her sons but losing her resolve at the last moment, according to The New York Times.
After a brief trial, the jury found her guilty on two counts of first-degree murder but spared her from execution, sentencing her instead to life in prison with parole eligibility after 30 years.
Juror Deborah Benvenuti later explained, “We all felt Susan was a really disturbed person. Giving her the death penalty wouldn’t serve justice.”
The boys’ father, David Smith, disagreed, saying, “I’ll never forget what Susan has done and I’ll never forget Michael and Alex. Me and my family are disappointed that the death penalty wasn’t the verdict.”
Affairs with Prison Guards
Smith began her sentence at the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina. In 2000, two prison guards were charged for having sexual relations with her.
According to UPI, guard Houston Cagle, 50, had sex with Smith multiple times and served three months in jail after pleading guilty. Another guard, Captain Alfred Rowe, was also convicted after admitting to having sex with Smith, receiving five years’ probation.
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Following these incidents, Smith was transferred to Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood, South Carolina, where officials enforced strict supervision. “No one trusts her to be alone with a guard,” a prison source said. “She spends most of her time in her cell or working her job, but when transported, there are always two guards with her, preferably a male and a female.”
Disciplinary Issues: Drugs and Self-Harm
Smith’s behavior continued to cause concern at Leath Correctional. Between 2010 and 2017, she was disciplined at least five times for infractions including drug use, possession of narcotics or marijuana, and self-mutilation.
Punishments included losing visitation, canteen, and phone privileges. One of the guards previously involved with her alleged that her drug use worsened after her transfer.
“She could no longer get the male attention she used as a drug,” he said on Lifetime’s Cellmate Secrets in 2021.
Former cellmate Christie Smith claimed she often supplied Susan with pills and witnessed her use drugs in various ways.
A Prison Romance — and Its End
In 2022, reports emerged that Smith, then 50, had been corresponding romantically with a man outside prison for over a year.
The man, a divorced father of two, had written to her after watching a documentary about her case. Their letters reportedly became frequent and deeply personal.
“She’s very romantic like that, always wanting to find a happily ever after,” a relative said. Smith expressed hopes of building “a new life” together if she were freed, writing, “We’re going to have amazing chemistry in person … Leave the past mistakes behind.”
The relationship ended by late 2022, with a family member confirming, “They are no longer corresponding. It’s over.”
Parole Denied in 2024
Smith reportedly improved her behavior in recent years to strengthen her parole chances. “She’s behaving herself these days,” a prison source said in 2020.
However, her past disciplinary record—including drug use, self-harm, and inappropriate contact with guards—played against her.
At her November 2024 parole hearing, Smith told the board, “I know what I did was horrible… I am a Christian and God is a big part of my life. I know he has forgiven me, and I just ask that you show that same mercy as well,” according to CNN.
Her request was denied. She will be eligible again in November 2026.
Her Ex-Husband’s Ongoing Fight
Smith divorced her husband, David, in 1995 before her trial began. Decades later, he continues to oppose her release.
Ahead of her parole hearing, David told Court TV in September 2024, “I would just tell her you have no idea how much damage you’ve done. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you stay behind bars.”
Now remarried and a father of two more children, David remains vocal about keeping Smith imprisoned. “This wasn’t a tragic mistake,” he said at the parole hearing. “She purposely meant to end their lives. I’ve never felt any remorse from her.”
He vowed, “I will be here every two years to make sure their deaths don’t go in vain.”
In a 2025 Dateline episode, David recalled her confession: “She just casually said, ‘I’m sorry.’ I asked her, ‘Why did you do this?’ And she said, ‘I don’t know why, but I’m sorry.’”
Now 53, Susan Smith remains incarcerated at Leath Correctional Institution, eligible for parole again in 2026 — though few expect she will ever leave prison alive.
