On October 25, 1994, a mother would commit an unspeakable act. Initially, there was an outpouring of support for the young mother whose sons had been kidnapped by a mysterious carjacker. However, support would soon turn to anger and disbelief. Listen to the story of Susan Smith and how one person made every wrong choice that sent a ripple effect across the United States.
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TuneInOn Tuesday, October 25th, 1994 at 9:02 pm the police received a call from Rick McCloud concerning a hysterical woman, Susan Smith.
A Black Man Kidnapped My Kids
She walked up to a house on Lockhart Highway in Union County SC. The woman told them a man has kidnapped her children. Susan told them she had been carjacked by an African American male. Her two sons, 3-year-old Michael, and 14-month-old Alexander were in the car.
She was at a stoplight when he jumped into her car with a gun. He was wearing a knit cap and a plaid jacket. He made her drive several miles and then forced her out of the car. Then he drove off with her children still strapped in.
Police Arrive On Scene
Two deputies were sent. One went to the home Susan had gone to for help, and the other down the highway towards Chester. This was the direction Susan stated the carjacker had taken.
Sheriff Howard Wells quickly appeared on the scene and notified the SC Law Division as well as the FBI. Police investigated the stoplight where he entered the vehicle and also investigated tips of men matching the description. They also searched for the vehicle, a burgundy 1990 Mazda Protege.
On Wednesday, October 26th Susan made a public plea asking for the return of her children. The following day her estranged husband, David made a public plea as well. On Friday, a report came in stating someone heard a child crying in a nearby national forest. After thoroughly searching the area, nothing is found.
An Arrest Is Made
Within a few days, the case is featured on America’s Most Wanted and is being reported nationally. The attention brings in a flood of tips to be investigated but nothing concrete is found that can lead to the boys. Nine days after the kidnapping police announced that someone had been charged with 2 counts of murder for the deaths of Michael and Alex. That person was Susan Smith.
Susan’s Story Falls Apart
While publicly the focus of the investigation was to find the two kidnapped children, police found inconsistencies in Susan’s story that they questioned from the beginning. As is commonplace, parallel to the search for the missing children, an investigation into Susan was led by Robert Stewart, the Chief of Police.
While the premise of a carjacker taking a vehicle with children in it is not likely, the biggest red flag was where she said it took place. Susan claimed she was stopped at a red light when the carjacker entered the vehicle. There were no other cars around. The stoplight she was at is only triggered when a car is coming in the other direction.
Susan said she was on her way to see Mitch Sinclair, a 24-year-old textile mill worker who was dating her best friend. But Sinclair hadn’t been expecting her and was not home that night. She also said that they had gone to Wal-Mart that day. But no one has seen them there and she later admitted to lying about it. She was asked to take 2 lie detector tests days apart. Both came back inconclusive but with answers that led police to believe she may be lying about her story.
Susan Begins Dating After Filing For Divorce
As inconsistencies arose, police would dig deeper into Susan’s life. The 23-year-old mother of two filed for divorce in September of that year stating that her husband had cheated on her.
She began dating Tom Findlay, a 27-year-old Auburn University graduate who worked as a graphic arts manager. Tom was the son of the owner of the company Susan worked for as a secretary. He was also known as the most eligible bachelor in the county, living in his family’s mansion and obviously wealthy. Her husband says that she and Tom started an affair during the marriage. Susan pursued the divorce to move forward with their relationship.
A friend of Smith’s told investigators about a letter Findlay sent Smith. It said that although Findlay wanted to be with her, he wasn’t ready to be a father. Questioned, Findlay gave authorities a copy of the letter he had saved on his computer. The letter was important to investigators for two reasons. It established a possible motive. It also suggested that if Smith faked the carjacking to kill her children, the crime was one of passion.
Susan Confesses
On November 3rd around 2:00 pm in a small interrogation room, Susan broke down in front of Sheriff Wells. She said her children were not all right. Susan indicated that the car and her children were at the bottom of John D Long Lake. Divers found the car 122 feet from the ramp under 18 feet of water. Michael and Alex were seen through the window as the car was pulled from the water. They were still strapped into their car seats.
Susan was asked to give a written account of what happened. She said that on the night of Oct 25th she was suicidal and didn’t want her children to go through living without a mother. Susan Smith had been driving for over an hour with the boys when she pulled onto the access road at the lake. She let the car roll but stopped it by pulling the emergency brake. Susan then got out of the car, released the brake, and let the car roll into the water.
On November 6th a closed casket funeral was held for the boys who were buried together. The town hung blue and white ribbons everywhere in remembrance and mourning.
Susan Smith’s Trial
Susan waived her right to a bond hearing and would remain in jail until her trial. On December 12th she was indicted on 2 counts of murder. On January 16th prosecutor Tommy Polk announced that they would be seeking the death penalty.
Susan was appointed a public defender, Judy Clark. Her mother and stepfather mortgaged their home to pay for David Brooke. He had experience in death penalty cases. In July 1995 a jury was chosen consisting of 9 men and 3 women. On July 15th the trial began.
Susan Smith wouldn’t speak throughout the trial. A psychiatric examination determined that she was competent to stand trial but was suicidal and may sabotage her own defense.
The prosecution’s theory was that Susan killed her children to try and get her boyfriend Tom back. They presented this motive and it opened the door for the defense to present their version. Susan was an immature under-prepared mother and the death of her children was the result of a botched suicide attempt. The defense knew that Susan would be convicted, but they were trying to avoid the death penalty.
Susan was hospitalized in high school due to being suicidal. Her father had committed suicide when she was just 6 years old which increases her risk. There was also a bombshell admission at trial by Susan’s stepfather, who was the head of Union County’s Christian Coalition. He had sexually abused Susan Smith starting at 15 through adulthood up until 3 months prior to the murder. Because the defense said that she was suicidal but not mentally ill, the prosecution could not have her psychiatrically evaluated.
Jury Quickly Provides Verdict
The jury came back after 2 and a half hours with a guilty verdict. Now the most pivotal part of the process would be the trial for sentencing. Both sides pulled out the big guns, with the defense recalling every traumatic event in Susan’s life and the prosecution presenting a reenactment of the events with a camera mounted from the viewpoint of Michael and Alex. The video also showed that it took a full 6 minutes for the water to reach Michael and Alex, giving Susan ample time to try and save her children.
After two and a half hours a unanimous decision was made to sentence Susan to life in prison. In speaking to the press after the trial, David Smith and his family were disappointed in the sentencing. She will be eligible for parole in 2024 after serving 30 years.
In an eerie admission, a friend of Susan admitted that 5 days before the murder Susan said, “I wonder what life would be like if I didn’t have kids?”
Resources
- Husband Granted Divorce From Susan Smith
- Susan Smith
- Susan Smith Biography
- BIT BY BIT, MOM’S STORY CAME APART
- She captivated the nation by saying a black man kidnapped her sons. Police knew she killed them.
- How the Susan Smith murder case initially unfolded:
- Susan Smith Child Killer Full Crime Documentary