Where Is Susan Smith Now? The Woman Who Murdered Her Two Kids in 1994 Could Be Set Free

The story of Susan Smith was so shocking, it felt like it was ripped from the pages of a crime novel. In October 1994, the 23-year-old mother of two put 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex into the car seats of her Mazda, then drove them to a lake in her small South Carolina town.

Smith then got out, took the car out of park, and let the vehicle slowly roll into the water causing both children to drown.

During her trial, Seymour Halleck, a psychiatrist and law professor at the University of North Carolina, said Smith suffered from depression and had suicidal thoughts. Despite that, she was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and according to NBC News, was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences.

Where is Susan Smith now? Details to follow.

On Nov. 20, 1994, Smith will be up for parole. For nearly 30 years she has been incarcerated in various prisons in the state of South Carolina, where her time behind bars has been riddled with problems. Just two years after her trial, Smith was caught with a razor which is considered contraband.

In 2000 she was moved out of the Women’s Correctional Center after it was discovered she had been engaging in sexual relationships with two prison guards. Per Richland County criminal court records, Lt. Houston Cagle and Capt. Alfred R. Rowe Jr. were "convicted of having sex with an inmate, following an investigation into prison guard conduct."

Smith has violated various rules including not standing for count and using marijuana, which got her 45 and 90 days in the canteen respectively. In August 2024, she spoke with a documentarian about her crime which involved details about the day she killed her sons.

An incident report stated Smith recalled what was in the trunk of her car and revealed plans to take her own life while holding the boys. The conversation violates the Son of Sam laws which states she cannot profit from her crimes.

What made Smith's crimes even worse was the fact that she lied about them, initially telling police that she was carjacked by a Black man who kidnapped her sons. Less than two weeks later, after several failed polygraphs, Smith finally confessed. Perhaps if things had gone differently, her now ex-husband might be able to forgive her.

As it stands, David Smith doesn't think his ex-wife should be paroled.

David told WFYY that he had been dreading her parole date for almost three decades. "I never really put a lot of weight into it," he told the outlet. "Yet here we are. I really didn’t think she’d make it. I always thought there’d be some jailhouse justice done."

He has mostly focused on his two sons, who were "funny, loving little boys and had a lot of life left to live," he said. "She took it away."

South Carolina State Rep. Tommy Pope, who was lead prosecutor at the time, agrees with David and will be supporting him at the parole hearing. "The jury thought she would be in prison, be remorseful, and thinking about Michael and Alex for the rest of her life," he explained to WFYY.

"Clearly, her behavior is indicated, that’s not what Susan’s been thinking about in her 30 years."