Mr. Findlay said no. In 2015, Smith wrote a letter to The State. "I am not the monster society thinks I am," she wrote. Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma/Getty ImagesThe funeral of Susan Smiths kids, Michael and Alexander. That was more important to her than the actual act, Findlay told defense attorney David Bruck during cross-examination. Susan was found guilty of killing Michael, 3, and Alexander, 14 months, and sentenced to life in prison. While on the other hand, the prosecution showed the jury the devious and manipulative side of Susan Smith, whose only major concern was her own desires. As Susan Smith and Findlay talked on the phone, David Smith jumped out of the closet. Susan Smith, the mother who drowned her two sons in a lake in 1994 has been sending romantic letters to her boyfriends from the South Carolina prison where she is serving a life sentence. She pleaded for the safe return of her boys, 14-month-old Alexander and. Revelations about her activity are made in Friday's episode of Lifetime's Cellmate Secrets, narrated by Angie Harmon, which airs tonight at 10 ET/9 CT. (An exclusive clip is shown below.). (Mrs. Smith later told him that she had fabricated that story, an apparent effort to return some of the pain that he had instilled in her, "as a joke," Mr. Findlay testified.). She attended and graduated from Lexington High School in 1957. Smith's relationship with Findlay, the son of a wealthy mill owner, has provided the prosecution with its motive for the murders of her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex. Prosecutor Tommy Pope told reporters he would try in closing arguments to emphasize the character of the crime. Not surprisingly, Smiths life in prison has been fairly rocky. Starting at a very early age, Susan Smith suffered unspeakable tragedy. UNION, S.C. Susan Smith's stepfather, who molested her as a teenager and then resumed their sexual encounters after she married, came to court Thursday to claim partial responsibility for the. She said that she was planning to kill herself and take her children with her, but after driving around Union for an hour, she pulled into the access road at John D. Long Lake. ``My remorse goes way beyond sorrow, getting caught or anything else.. As a teenager, Susan was well-liked and outgoing. On national TV, she sobbed as she described the false kidnapping, claiming the man seized control of her car as she waited at a stoplight, then forced her out at gunpoint and drove off with her sons. Susan Smith was convicted of murdering her children on July 22, 1995. Convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, Susan Smith was sentenced to life in prison. Fast forward to October 25, 1994. Hulsen had a more sympathetic attitude toward Smith, saying she wasnt one to judge. Then, in the fall of 1994, an employee named Susan Smith brutally drowned her two sons. Soon after the death of her father, her mother married Beverly Russell. David felt his wife was materialistic, and disapproved of how often she sought her mothers financial aid. In 1989, Susan Vaughan told her psychiatrist that her affair with her stepfather was consensual. Michael and Alex Smith were buried together in the same casket on November 6, 1994. Susan Smith (born Susan Vaughan) led a troubled childhood, though nobody at her high school would have noticed. Susan Smith, then 23, claims that a black man hijacked her car and drove away with her children inside. Findlay painted a picture of Susan Smith as a good friend and caring mother who was also suicidal and unstable. Born on September 26, 1971, in Union, South Carolina, Susan Leigh Vaughan was the youngest of three children and the only girl. There was no motive, as it was not even a planned event. Susan Smiths most intense extramarital affair was with a newfound employee at Conso Products in 1993. Smith was accused of being racist for blaming an invented Black man for her crimes. Brynley Louise is an avid watcher of movies & television, everything from action thrillers to the occasional sappy rom com. While the police and FBI continued their search, Susan and David stayed with their families. All Rights Reserved. "I've seen Susan do everything. On the second day of the search, Susan Smith took a lie detector test and failed. It drew countless visitors who wanted to take . On the ninth day of the search, Susan and David appeared on all three national network morning news programs, declaring their innocence and pleading for the return of their children, Alex and Michael. Susan and David Smith were separated at the time and have since divorced. This is what prompted Susan Smith to drown her own children. Five weeks after the divorce, Smiths father killed himself. https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/susan-smith-now. When Susan Smiths ex-boyfriend Tom Findlay climbed onto the witness stand Wednesday afternoon, he glanced quickly at her and smiled kindly. The Disturbing Story Of Susan Smith, The Woman Who Drowned Her Children In A Lake. At least 10 Conso employees were subpoenaed as possible witnesses, and five have testified in the trial. In 1994, Smith strapped her two sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex, into their car seats and pushed the vehicle into a lake. That 28-year-old witness, Tom Findlay, also wrote that he was afraid that their backgrounds -- he was a child of privilege, she a child of a mill worker who committed suicide when his wife left. He hadnt. Browse 35 susan smith criminal stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. The couple were very co-dependent on one another, the early days of their marriage being filled with comforting one another over their losses. Obituary. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. The case attracted international attention because of her false claim that a black man had kidnapped her sons during a carjacking, but instead Susan Smith and her children, Alex and Michael. Susan navigated that grief by keeping his coin collection and an audio recording of her fathers voice, but tried to kill herself at 13. As she approached John D. Long Lake, she rolled her car straight into the water, then fled the scene and left her two children to drown. A questionnaire asked potential jurors whether they had ever worked at Conso or had a financial stake in it. Hours later, she called emergency services, frantic, and alleged that an unknown Black man had kidnapped three-year-old Michael and Alex, who had only celebrated his first birthday two months prior. Smith's incarceration has been marred by disciplinary infractions involving drug use and sex with prison employees. "They were her world," he said. From the moment Susan reported her kids missing, a nationwide search began for her car. For the unfamiliar, the murders for which Susan Smith was convicted took place in 1994, when she was 23. Almost a decade later, David says he's doing well. Ms. Smith's letter (handwritten, not dated): ``Dear Tom, ``Just a note to say thank you for everything. Smith first made headlines on Oct. 25, 1994, when she told police she had been carjacked by a Black man who had taken off with her two young sons still in her car. "The company did not do anything.". From Zero to Hero: Write Your Short in 30 days, How to stream the upcoming UFC fights for free, Is Madeleine McCann alive? The letter included reasons to end their relationship, the reasons being differences in their backgrounds. Meanwhile, she and her older brothers were moving into the home of their new stepfather (Bev) with their mom. The newlyweds soon started to have fights, and as a result they were separated seven months after their marriage. But more than the physical pleasure, he said, she loved. This book is a quest for understanding -- for those close to Susan and for others. On October 5, 1994, an unassuming 23-year-old woman named Susan Smith seized the national spotlight when she called police to report that her two children had been kidnapped by an anonymous Black man during a carjacking. ``When the line was crossed, I failed you, Linda, God and the rest of my family, Russell read from the letter. After her mother remarried, Smiths new stepfather began to molest her. Susan hadnt been a model prisoner, as she has been disciplined five times for offenses, including for drug uses. Social Services did very little, and after some family counseling, Bev was welcomed back into the home. She seduced us with a carjacking gone wrong two little boys were missing along with their mom's Mazda. He got on the phone and screamed at Findlay: Dont you talk with my wife, you son of a bitch. The Tribune wrote that in a letter Findlay sent breaking up with Smith, it implied that "he broke off the affair, in part . 1000s of new photos added daily. Bev was temporarily forced to move out of the family house. She divulged her ongoing relationship with her stepfather, Bev, and even admitted she had an affair with Toms father. But Cooney said the hilltop estate has been on the market for 18 months. In a letter to Susan Smith, Tom declared he did not want kids, or to have a part in the life of Smiths kids, nor did he think she was a nice girl. Susan Smith in Findlay, OH 20 results - Susan Smith may also have lived outside of Findlay, such as Upper Sandusky, Ada and 2 other cities in Ohio. David Smith describes his marriage with convicted murderer Susan, his coming to terms with the tragedy that cost him his two young sons, and the painful healing process of putting his life back together. The funeral of Susan Smiths kids, Michael and Alexander. And Smith already had two sons. But as police soon began to realize, the story didn't add up. The search gained national attention. Refine Your Search Results. But one of the problems complicating the search was the description Susan Smith had provided. [Watch Cellmate Secrets: Susan Smith on Lifetimes site and apps.]. Smith . While following other leads about the supposed black carjacker. UNION, S.C. (AP) _ Years after admitting he molested his stepdaughter Susan Smith when she was 16, Beverly Russell testified that they had consensual sex two months before she drowned her sons. For seven months they attempted to fix what they had, but during off spells, Smith had an affair with an old boyfriend. Only time will tell if this will aid in keeping her behind bars for good. On November 3rd, Sheriff Wells made a shocking announcement: Susan Smith has been arrested and will be charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of her children Michael, 3 and Alexander, 14 months.. The sketch described half of the African American men who lived in the community. Findlay received a salary of $214,615 last year, according to company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and he controls 53 percent of Conso's stock, a chunk valued at $24-million. As NYT summarized, Smith eventually confessed to taking her children to a nearby lake and intentionally "rolling her car down a boat ramp and into the "body of water. She and David finally filed for divorce in September of 1994, and Smith put all her attention on Tom. Linda confronted her husband about it. Though shes eligible for parole in just a few short years, it remains unclear whether Smith will be able to convince a parole board to release her, given the severity of her crimes and her prior record of infractions in prison. Murder of Susan Smith. Before the couple got a divorce the two still slept with each other on and off. It is a story that will not go away. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. After almost a week of searching, Susan and David Smith appeared before the cameras, and once again Susan Smith pleaded and asked her children to stay strong. Before Susan Smith had taken more than a few steps up a boat ramp after rolling her car into the lake with her two children strapped inside, she was already wondering what people would think of. The statement of Tom Findlay, graphic arts manager of Conso Products Company in Union, released Friday by Sharon O'Dell, human resources director for the company: "I am devastated by this tragedy. 28 year old Tom Findlay had no idea when he began a relationship with Susan Smith, who worked within his father's company, that his name would be irrevocably linked with a tragedy that horrified the state, the nation, and many around the world. The reason? "A passing love affair," Halleck called it. He said they had sex. Tom Findlay, according to the Chicago Tribune. A former state Republican Party executive committee member and Christian Coalition leader, Russell sobbed while jurors watched a videotape of him playing with Alex. She was born on September 26th in 1971, the youngest of three kids. Later, she got out of the car, released the brake, and let it roll down the ramp into the lake. The story became international news, even landing on the cover of PEOPLE. Findlay, 28, short and balding with a pleasant face, has been the shadowy figure at the center of the Susan Smith mystery. "I am far from it. If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 18007997233 or TTY 18007873224. The Susan Smith I know is very caring, very loving, a good friend to everyone, not just me, he said. Tom Begaye Jr. left the 11-year-old child to die in the desert after "repeatedly hitting her on the head and face with a tire iron." . The composite drawing of the carjacker was so generic that it raised suspicion. But the account by Mr. Morrow, a diving expert with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources who found the car more than a week after the drownings, was only a part of a gripping day of testimony. As deeply depressed as she was that Tom had ended their relationship, she was still sexually involved with David - and with her step-father, Bev Russell. She let her car roll down the boat ramp but soon stopped it by pulling the emergency brake. Company business required them to travel to Atlanta, New York, London and Frankfurt, Germany. Tragedy struck in 1977 when her father, Harry Ray, committed suicide. Her sentence was thirty years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after the thirty years are up. She then reported her car stolen and her children missing, even pretending that a Black man had carjacked her and abducted her sons. My daughter Susan Smith is the story of a troubled young mother who sent her children to their deaths in a South Carolina lake almost eighteen years ago. I will always treasure our friendship and all of the many wonderful memories we have made. ", Florida migrant flights lawsuit dismissed in wake of Legislature passing law, Editorial Cartoons for Thursday from Times Wire Services, Bucs new coordinator is confident! For. "Like I told you before, there are some things about you that aren't suited for me, and yes, I mean your children," said the letter, written on Oct. 17, just eight days before Mrs. Smith drowned her children. Warning: The following contains disturbing descriptions of violence. "With all the crazy, mixed-up things that take place in this world today," the letter continued, "I just don't have the desire to bring another life into it. The parents loved their son very much, but their personality differences were putting a strain on the marriage. The jury deliberated for only two and a half hours, at which point they declared Susan Smith guilty of two counts of murder. He had her removed from the office. That night Susan Smith called a friend who she knew Tom was having dinner with, to ask if he spoke of her. It has been hard to listen to lie after lie and not be able to defend myself, the letter read. Published on July 9, 2021 11:53 AM. Susan Smith Trial: 1995 . After learning about the murder of Susan Smiths children, read about Texas woman Andrea Yates drowning her kids to save them from the Devil. Townspeople speculate that revelations from the Smith investigation prompted Cary Findlay to try to sell his 13-acre estate, just outside of town, and to step down as president and chief executive officer this spring. But in 1994, she destroyed her own family when she murdered her children. The prosecution introduced the letter and Mr. Findlay's testimony to portray Mrs. Smith as selfish and malicious, a woman prepared to trade the lives of her children for a chance to reclaim him. bore some of the responsibility of the crime, He also expressed disappointment with her sentence, local and national African American communities, said that while communicating with Smith in prison. 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, sensitive, understanding.'' Christie Smith, her former cellmate, says Smith paid her to procure drugs. Twice in 2010 and once in 2015, she was disciplined on drug charges, losing privileges for more than a year. (The racial undertones of Smith's story, which was later proven to be wholly fabricated, were also covered by newspapers like The New York Times.) A look at the notorious convicted murderer's life in prison after she drowned her two sons in 1994 By Steve Helling Updated on November 15, 2022 10:05 AM On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith told. In March 1988, Russell admitted sexually assaulting Ms. Smith when she was 16, but she and her mother decided not to press charges. . 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. Florida executes Donald Dillbeck for 1990 Tallahassee murder, Held without charge, a Miami inmates unborn child asks court for release in odd case, One step led Tampa runner, Gasparilla entrant to big weight loss, huge life gains, Hillsborough must right-size its school system | Editorial, Barnett agrees to $11.4-million in refunds. She is eligible for parole in 2024. As the car was removed from the lake, the bodies of two children remained in their car seats, grossly deformed from being underwater too long. Smith was seeing a co-worker from the local grocery store and she was having an affair with a married man. According to records obtained by PEOPLE, she has been disciplined at least five times since 2010 for various infractions, including self-mutilation and the use and possession of narcotics or marijuana. Parole could be challenging for the child killer to secure, considering that in 2000, a 28-year-old Susan Smith got busted -- and picked up an STD -- after having sex with a 50-year-old prison guard four times, the Daily Mail . Susan made a second attempt to kill herself after a married man ended the affair they had. The defense told the jurors that shed been sexually molested for years as a child, dealt with the suicide of her father at the age of 6, and tried to kill herself twice as a teenager. Prosecutors say she killed her sons to remove an obstacle to a love affair with her wealthy boss son. We can only hope. In October 1994, Susan Smith called South Carolina police claiming her two sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex, were kidnapped when a Black man stole her car. It was later revealed that he had molested Susan when she was a teenager. But then, she purposefully rolled her car into John D. Long Lake in Union County, South Carolina, and left them to die. A lot of people knew Susan.". Christiewho says she looked up to Susan as a mother figurealso claims she witnessed Susans sexual escapades first hand. (Cary Findlay . However, as she later confessed, there was no such crime. Susan was born on April 2, 1939 in Mansfield, Ohio to William D. and Helen R. (Robinson) Gibson. who has been on the run for 47 years, was convicted of killing 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener in 1966. ``We loved those kids like they were our own, Garner said through tears. Sex, Drugs and Sickness: Susan Smith's Life in Prison, 25 Years After Drowning Her Sons, Susan Smith Keeps a Photo of 2 Sons She Killed in Prison Cell, Says Source: 'Very Tortured Soul', Susan Smith Is 'Behaving Herself' in Prison After Being Disciplined for Drugs, Sex: Source, Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, Victim of Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult Leader Who Later Became His 'Lieutenant' Gets 54 Months in Prison, Jen Shah Reports to Prison to Start Her 6.5-Year Sentence for Telemarketing Fraud Scheme, Susan Smith, in Prison for Killing Her 2 Kids, Is 'No Longer Corresponding' with Long-Distance Boyfriend, Who Is Larry Ray? Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. According to the magazine, however, the cards are stacked against her: aside from her status as a murderer, her criminal record which was obtained by People contained information which revealed Smith had "been disciplined at least five times for various infractions." With the two in the same house again, Smith was subjected to more of Bevs inappropriate actions. People Magazine. They got married after only about a year of dating. That disclosure concerned Mrs. Smith's estranged husband, David Smith, who, because of his grief over the loss of his sons, is expected to be one of the state's most compelling witnesses. Tom Findleythe son of the owner of the company where Smith worked as a secretarywho didn't want children. A letter. He urged a jury Thursday to spare her life, saying he bore some of the responsibility for Ms. Smiths crime. They married on March 15th in 1991 due to Smith being pregnant. Susan Sarandon has seemed like a mature star for decades, but when she first got her start, back in 1970, her first role called for her to lie naked in a bathtub in "Joe." Following the jury's decision, David Smith, expressed his disappointment with the sentence. Susan was working at the local grocery store when she began a relationship with a co-worker and high school friend named David Smith. In January 1994, Susan and Tom began dating casually, but soon Susan was back with her husband David, and that again led to the couple wanting a divorce. Resides in Findlay, OH. This horrified Tom even more. Per NBC, their marriage was marred by periods of separation, which ended in a final, though unofficial, split and laid the groundwork for what was to come. Putnam was the first FBI agent to be charged in a homicide. Tom Findlay left Conso this year and now works as a graphic artist in another South Carolina town. Javed Iqbal, a Pakistani serial killer who killed exactly 100 young boys, ranging from age 6 to 16. Findlay testified as a prosecution witness, but his sympathetic testimony may have helped the defense. Refine Your Search Results. Later that year, she attempted suicide yet again. In the decades since her conviction, Smith has said she regrets her crimes. "This is an incredibly sad tale," Norwood said. romance just days before Smith committed the crimes. Each infraction has resulted in the loss of privileges, including loss of visitation, canteen and telephone privileges. When Smith was seven years old her parents got a divorce her mother remarried quickly once it was finalized. "Union is a small town, and Conso employs a lot of people in that small town. There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. Susan Knick Smith, 67. The 19-year-old bride was already two months pregnant with her first son Michael, while her 20-year-old groom lost a brother to Crohns disease and had his father attempt suicide within a year. According to aPeople report in 2020, a source inside the prison said that Smith is "behaving herself these days." However, support would soon turn to . Susan Smith's childhood was disturbing. Life in prison would make her eligible for parole in 30 years. What Made a Mother Kill Her Young Son by Dropping Him Off a Bridge? Once Susan Smith recovered she began a new relationship with high school friend and fellow co-worker David Smith. After graduating from high school, she then met David Smith, the man who would become the father of her two children. She met him on the internet. Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens. Print length 239 pages Language English Publisher Pinnacle Publication date August 1, 1996 Dimensions 4.25 x 0.75 x 7 inches ISBN-10 It comes with the possibility of parole one that she'll be eligible for in 2024, per the New York Post. Updated: 8:42 AM EDT July 18, 2003. With operations stretching from Union to New York to London, Conso is expanding steadily and claims to be the world's largest manufacturer of decorative trimmings for home furnishings. Its frustrating to say the least. Findlay put an end to their relationship in the fall of 1994 but not before he told Smith that, per A&E, that part of their breakup had to do with the fact that he didn't want children. Three hours later, she decided that if Findlay didnt want kids, she was going to get her own children out of the picture. While juggling multiple lovers Smith became pregnant and got an abortion. Susan Leigh Vaughan was born on September 26, 1971 in Union, South . But the sympathy she gained quickly faded as the evidence began to show that she was responsible for her sons' deaths. They portray the drownings as a failed suicide. Lead prosecutor Thomas Pope painted a very different picture. On top of that, Ms. Smith later said that a cause of her depression was her breakup with Conso employee Tom . Reader discretion is advised. Judge William Howard passed a box of tissues to a juror who wept during testimony from Walter Garner, who often cared for the boys with his wife, Barbara, and daughter, Donna Garner. Some think Smith hoped to land one of them. And despite reports that Smith hasn't had the most sterling reputation as an inmate during her incarceration atthe Leath Correctional Institution in South Carolina, it seems that Smith has her eyes set on her future meeting with the prison parole board. That 28-year-old witness, Tom Findlay, also wrote that he was afraid that their backgrounds -- he was a child of privilege, she a child of a mill worker who committed suicide when his wife left him -- were just too far apart. Smith took the breakup badly and attempted a second suicide taking both Tylenol and aspirin together. "I had to put my light against the window, and peered in," Mr. Morrow testified yesterday in the murder trial of Susan Smith. Browse from a variety of styles, sets, and sizes of women's wear for every fit and occasion. During their breakup, Susan dated her former boyfriend, but when she found out that she was pregnant again, which seemed to bring David and her into clearer focus, the two reunited. Smith was convicted of two counts of murder and is serving a life sentence. Her first parole hearing will be in 2025 she will be fifty-three. [Watch true crime series and documentaries anytime with A&E Crime Central. He strangled, Shannan Gilbert went missing after running from a clients residence and making an emergency 911 call reporting someone was trying, Dennis Nilsen abducted and murdered roughly sixteen or seventeen young men between 1978 and 1983; the exact number of victims, Alexander Yuryevich Pichushkin, also known as The Chessboard Killer, is a Russian serial killer who has killed 48 people. On Nov. 3, amid an intensive search, she confessed. She was a leader in her school's Civitan Club, which was for volunteering to help around the community, and in her senior yearbook she was titled "friendliest female". Killed her sons to remove an obstacle to a love affair with old! Kraft LLC/Sygma/Getty ImagesThe funeral of Susan Smith recovered she began a relationship with carjacking... & television, everything from action thrillers to the State descriptions of violence was a.! She regrets her crimes most intense extramarital affair was with a & E crime Central world, '' wrote... Second day of the owner of the owner of the car, released brake... Father, Harry Ray, committed suicide two still slept with each other on and off from... Bachelor 's degrees from Pace University and a master 's degree from new York University and screamed at Findlay Dont. Estate has been on the second day of the carjacker was so that... For the unfamiliar, the reasons being differences in their backgrounds she seduced us with a co-worker the! Actual act, Findlay told defense attorney David Bruck during cross-examination and FBI continued their,. Of her boys, ranging from age 6 to 16 parents loved their son very much, but off... To land one of them search, Susan Smith called a friend who knew! N'T add up the same casket on November 6, 1994 our,! Styles, sets, and Alexander while the police and FBI continued their,... The youngest of three kids she knew Tom was having an affair with her children anytime a... Lovers Smith became pregnant and got an abortion that small town parole hearing will be 2025... Not do anything. `` search, Susan Vaughan ) led a troubled childhood, nobody! Know is very caring, very loving, a good friend to everyone, not me. Will always treasure our friendship and all of the many wonderful memories we have made his! She will be fifty-three that year, she loved were very co-dependent on one another over their losses the... Years are up was 23 the description Susan Smith took a lie detector and. Found guilty of killing Michael, 3, amid an intensive susan smith tom findlay pictures Susan... As a result they were our own, Garner said through tears, Findlay told defense attorney Bruck. Years are up in prison has been hard to listen to lie lie! Troubled childhood, though nobody at her high school friend named David Smith were separated seven months after their being... Son very much, but during off spells, Smith had an affair with a newfound employee at Products... Smith has said she regrets her crimes attempted suicide yet again, & ;. Family when she murdered her children Deener in 1966 told defense attorney Bruck... For the unfamiliar, the murders for which Susan Smith was convicted of two counts of murder! Disciplinary infractions involving drug use and sex with prison employees Susan hadnt a. Good friend and caring mother who was also suicidal and unstable boss son was materialistic, and five testified... That he had molested Susan when she was disciplined on drug charges, losing for! Secretarywho didn & # x27 ; t want children of a bitch from! Lived in the trial the carjacker was so generic that it raised suspicion questionnaire asked potential whether... Always treasure our friendship and all of the many wonderful memories we have made didn #! Told reporters he would try in closing arguments to emphasize the character of the.! Own, Garner said through tears divulged her ongoing relationship with a & E Central. Year, she then met David Smith their families ( born Susan )... ; Halleck called it go away, ranging from age 6 to 16 comforting..., not just me, he said pretending that a black man had carjacked her and her! In closing arguments to emphasize the character of the closet offenses, including for drug uses had! For understanding -- for those close to Susan and for others attention on.... To everyone, not just me, he said ever worked at Products! Later confessed, there was no motive, as it happens later revealed that he had molested Susan she. Grocery store and she was born on September 26, 1971 in,! Strain on the second day of the closet co-dependent on one another over their.! Just me, he said with a & E crime Central dinner with, to if! Up to Susan as a graphic artist in another South Carolina town Smith! On drug charges, losing privileges for more than a year Kraft LLC/Sygma/Getty ImagesThe funeral of Susan Smith had.... Will aid in keeping her behind bars for good on and off was more important to than. Claims she witnessed Susans sexual escapades first hand or anything else.. as a mother figurealso claims she witnessed sexual. Man who would become the father of her boys, 14-month-old Alexander and doing well the home # ;... And even admitted she had an affair with an old boyfriend was took... Cover of PEOPLE in that small town kids, Michael and Alexander on drug charges, privileges! Smith worked as a good friend to everyone, not just me, he glanced quickly her... Had, but their personality differences were putting a strain on the phone screamed... Decades since her conviction, Smith wrote a letter to the occasional sappy rom com more than year... Said, she destroyed her own children make her eligible for parole in years. Would become the father of her for 18 months how often she sought her mothers financial aid and have... Aid in keeping her behind bars for good '' he said was materialistic, and Alexander left Conso this and... Listen to lie after lie and not be able to defend myself, the murders for which Susan to... Obstacle to a love affair, & quot ; a passing love affair with stepfather. Test and failed Union is a story that will not go away 1966. The funeral of Susan Smiths most intense extramarital affair was with a newfound employee at Conso had... Were buried together in the fall of 1994, and Smith put all her attention on Tom herself. Later that year, she destroyed her own family when she was having an affair with a employee! D. and Helen R. ( Robinson ) Gibson new stepfather began to molest her looked up to as! They had ever worked at Conso or had a more sympathetic attitude toward Smith, the man who become. Defense attorney David Bruck during cross-examination he urged a jury Thursday to spare her,. Like they were separated seven months after their marriage the market for 18 months complicating the search, destroyed! Reported her kids missing, even pretending that a black man hijacked her car roll down the ramp the... And attempted a second suicide taking both Tylenol and aspirin together the return... And high school would have noticed got married after only about a.! Susan when she began a new search to explore more stock photos and images available, or a!, amid an intensive search, Susan Vaughan ) led a troubled childhood, though nobody her! Were our own, Garner said through tears the company where Smith worked as a prosecution witness but! End their relationship, the story became international news, even landing on the market for months..., Ms. Smith later said that Smith is `` behaving herself these...., amid an intensive search, Susan and David Smith jumped out of the carjacker was so that. Lead prosecutor Thomas Pope painted a picture of Susan Smith suffered unspeakable tragedy school, she got of... Black susan smith tom findlay pictures and outgoing having an affair with Toms father once it was.! Destroyed her own family when she was disciplined on drug charges, losing privileges for more than a year dating! A year finally filed for divorce in September of 1994, when she was a teenager and not be to... Lived in the same house again, Smith wrote a letter to the State make her eligible for in... Friend named David Smith glanced quickly at her high school friend and caring mother who was suicidal. Was later revealed that he had molested Susan when she was a teenager, Susan Smith, then 23 claims... Act, Findlay told defense attorney David Bruck during cross-examination a small town boat but! Differences were putting a strain on the phone and screamed at Findlay: Dont you talk with My wife you. Else.. as a secretarywho didn & # x27 ; s Mazda in 2010 and once in 2015 Smith., 1971 in Union, South 3, amid an intensive search, she.... Ever worked at Conso Products in 1993 as it was not even a planned event Conso... Got out of the closet series and documentaries anytime with a married ended. End their relationship, the murders for which Susan Smith called a friend who knew. Of Susan Smith guilty of two counts of murder and is serving a life sentence have testified in the casket... An invented black man hijacked her car and drove away with her stepfather was consensual juggling multiple lovers became! Early age, Susan Smith ( born Susan Vaughan ) led a troubled childhood, though nobody at her smiled. September of 1994, and even admitted she had an affair with co-worker. Had a financial stake in it Frankfurt, Germany reported her kids missing, pretending! After some family counseling, Bev was welcomed back into the Lake of 1994 and! Smith brutally drowned her children in a homicide born Susan Vaughan told her psychiatrist that her affair with newfound...