– Susan Smith is eligible for parole consideration after serving 30 years in prison for drowning her two young sons in 1994. She is scheduled for a parole hearing in November 2024.
– In 1994, Smith told police her car was carjacked by a Black man and her sons were taken. She later confessed to intentionally drowning her sons by letting her car roll into a South Carolina lake while they were strapped in their car seats.
– She was convicted of murder in 1995 and received a life sentence. Under South Carolina law at the time, she is eligible for parole after 30 years.
– Parole is granted in about 8% of cases and is less likely for high-profile or notorious crimes. Prosecutors and the victims’ families also frequently oppose parole in such cases. Both factors work against Smith.
– The lead prosecutor plans to argue Smith has not shown real remorse and has been focused only on herself in prison over the past 30 years. The victims’ father also plans to advocate against her release.
– If granted parole, Smith will have served the minimum 30 years required by her sentence for the high-profile crime of drowning her two young sons. However, opponents argue a life sentence was intended to mean life without parole given the nature of the crime.
Source: AP
