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The story gained national attentionwith the images of 3-year-old Michaeland 1-year-old Alex flashed on television screens across the country, including images of Smith and her grieving husband, David. The mom of two made headlines at the time of the news due to her shocking motive and she has since been behaving herself behind bars, which means she could soon be a free woman. Sources Poinsettias will come at Christmas and bunnies at Easter, and then this time next year, as the trees begin to go auburn and gold, it will start over again, because it all began in autumn. David has stated that he will attend all parole hearings to try to keep Susan Smith in prison for the rest of her life. SUSAN SMITH'S LETTER TO TOM FINDLAY Dear Tom, Just a note to say thank you for everything. They courted Walt Disney, which is building a catalog distribution warehouse in Union County; more than 300 people will get jobs. David Smith, last anyone heard, had moved to Florida. These feelings may change one day, but I doubt it. . The highway sign simply reads John D. Long Lake. But on Oct. 16, Findlay testified, Smith acknowledged she was not even separated from her husband. Nothing gives away what happened there the clear, cool night of Oct. 25, 1994. She was later promoted to the executive secretary position, as she was dating Tom Findlay, the son of her boss. 'You don't have all the guilt,' Beverly Russell, Smith's stepfather, says at her trial. They eventually settled down in a brick starter home in Union. "And she said, Everything.' Findlay said he had begun seeing Smith again last September after she assured him that she was in the process of divorcing her husband, a 24-year-old produce worker at the local Winn-Dixie. Susan Smith Trial: 1995 Defendant: Susan SmithCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: David Bruck and Judy ClarkeChief Prosecutor: Tommy PopeJudge: . Only a few days before Susan Smith drowned her two young sons, her former boyfriend testified today, he wrote her that the children were one reason their relationship could not continue. Davids parents were grieving the recent loss of another son who died of Crohns disease just 11 days before Susan and Davids wedding. Smith ended her young boys lives by letting her 1990 Mazda roll into a South Carolina lake with both 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander strapped into their car seats. WISTV During the marriage, Smith had several affairs, and in August, 1993, after the birth of her second son, she hooked up with her wealthy boss, Tom Findlay. I have never felt so needed. On top of that, Ms. Smith later said that a cause of her depression was her breakup with Conso employee Tom . Susan herself is now in prison after being found guilty of the murders of her children in July 1995. I will always be here for you! The divorce apparently led her millworker father, Harry Vaughan, to commit suicide one month later, an event that may have helped create the emotional vacuum that has haunted her ever since. "I didn't know what to do," he said. Crime.About.com Susan Smith's nervous paramour cast doubt today on charges that she killed her children to pursue their romance, saying Smith's anguish actually stemmed from a recent affair with her own stepfather. Yet nobody talks about his guy or where he is or what other girls he has been doing. An autopsy of the children proved that the two boys were still alive when they were submerged in the water. He relocated to another city and runs an art business using his first and middle name. She made a tearful plea on national television for their safe return. He hired Smith as an assistant to his executive assistant in 1994, and she got to know his son while working at the Conso plant. "But forgive--that's something I'm going to have to deal with, I guess, further on down the road. Well, people can change. Russell published a book in 2000 titled My Daughter Susan Smith where she detailed her daughters rocky childhood and background in an attempt to understand and explain why she did what she did. And your friendship is one that I will always look upon with sincere affection. This year, as the bands and barbecue mavens set up, television trucks arrived on Main Street, but not for anybody's sauce recipe. In her confession, she stated that she wanted to die and was going to her mothers house, but she gave up. Such a position also gave her the chance to get close to her boss son, one of Unions most desired bachelors, Tom Findlay. He was considered twenty years ago to be the most eligible bachelor in Union, as the son of a wealthy mill owner. Back in the 1990s, Susan Smith claimed a Black man kidnapped her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander. However, the case of Susan Smith highlights two distinct points of view. "Had I been true to you in my responsibilities, you would have been stronger in yourself, not needing to be constantly supported and reassured emotionally. Where is Bev Berverly Russell? The marriage was a step up: Susan and her brothers, Michael and Scotty, moved into a comfortable ranch house in Mount Vernon Estates, an upscale subdivision outside Union. UPDATE! (The divorce was granted after her arrest. Allen, for one, doesn't need reminders. A.L. Everything is different except the gently rippled lake and its thick ring of trees. However, although she was sentenced to life in prison, she is up for parole in 2024. If a mother who deliberately drowns her children in a pique over a failed romance doesn't deserve to die, who does? Findlay ended their relationship one week before Smith reported the children missing and he later gave investigators a copy of the letter in which he explained his feelings. Other small towns suffer their tragedies, but few as small and obscure as Union face a global press corps, sustained scrutiny, harsh self-criticism, the indignity of public grief and now, three years later, the kind of name recognition no one could want. Plastic or resin containers are usually reasonably priced and large enough for indeterminate tomatoes, but fabric containers, This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, LETTER FROM SUSAN SMITH TO TOM FINDLAY - HIS LETTER IN RESPONSE. We have been raised in two totally different environments, and therefore, think totally different. He said she slammed her hand down on the table, uttered a profanity and said, " I can't believe you think that!' Final testimony for the prosecution includes a tearful David Smith saying, 'All my hopes and dreams, everything that I had planned for the rest of my life-it ended that day. The following year, prison captain. ``I know how you feel about our relationship and I respect that. Which is the lie? On one hand, I feel sorry for the guy because he got wrapped in this mess when he clearly stated he wanted nothing to do with the girl. After the birth of their second son, Alexander Tyler, on August 5, 1993, David and Susan resumed their relationship, but within three weeks David once again moved out and they decided that the relationship was over. After Smith confessed, hundreds came to stand on the ramp, pray over that ground, throw flowers on the quiet surface of the lake and, later, touch the smooth granite monuments erected by the waterside. Caldwell said. Patrick is in there. He told her he felt like some kind of pervert when it happened." Last year, I grew Fortamino but the seeds didnt do well at all. I remembered how I hurt Laura, and I wont let that happen again; and therefore, I cant let myself get close to you. Her mother Linda, weeks after her divorce, took up a new relationship. Jurors heard Smith's love letters read aloud and watched a videotaped television interview Smith gave shortly after reporting that her two toddlers had been kidnapped by a black carjacker last Oct. 25. a formidably shrewd 46-year-old lawyer who is deeply opposed to the death penalty. The Barnes family of Maple Shade, N.J., sent an arrangement of carnations and daisies. Smith, now 26, is in prison in Columbia; she was sentenced in 1995 to life in prison and must serve at least 30 years. "That's one of the things that helped the healing process," says the Rev. Susan became famous for the brutality and coldness with which she killed her two children. , whose father owned the mill she worked at. Susan Smith was both perpetrator and victim. In a last effort to control Toms feelings, she asked her friend to watch the children while she went to Toms office to tell him that everything she had said was nothing but a big lie. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Susan Smiths childhood was disturbing. In addition to Findlay, several other Conso Products employees testified. The jury was 11-1 in favor of life in prison when it began deliberating her sentence, and the lone hard-liner finally joined the majority. 'Octomom' Nadya Suleman Is a Proud Mom of 14: See Her Kids Today! She asks the sheriff to pray with her, then confesses to the murders and tells police where to find the boys. Susan Smith chose to do the worst thing a mother can do and covered it up, Pope argued, pushing for the death penalty. Her ex, Tom Findlay, had broken up with her after having stated that he was not interested in having or raising children. Nothing--not Smith's sad history or blighted hopes, nor any kind of victim chic-can explain that act away. The sheriff wanted to find the bodies first, and then call David to tell him the truth. Whether Smith is granted parole remains to be seen as she has not exactly been a model prisoner afterbeing found guilty of sexual misconduct in 2000with two prison guards. It was such an unbearable thing.". The bottom line is: Im glad we are friends and if that is all we can be, then we will just have to do a hell of a job of being that. Susan gave the police the exact distance the car floated before sinking. For those who've been before, the changes will show. 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. ``I do hope that we will be able to date some and be together again someday, but if we never made love again, my feelings for you would not change because having you as my friend is worth more than sex could ever be worth. . Why not simply give custody of the boys to their father? In fact, I think you should do just that. In July 1995, Smith was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, which is around the corner in November 2024. However, nine days later, she admitted that she had pushed the car into Lake John D. Long, drowning her sons, Michael, 3, and Alexander, 14 months, who were strapped into the car seats. The solution for the moment seemed to be to buy a house, where everything would be different. On October 25, 1994, a then 23-year-old married mother of two sons, Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina, rolled her car into John D. Long Lake with her boys strapped inside, drowning them. But just dont get seriously involved with anyone until you have done the things in life that you want to do, first. But it seems Susan just couldn't keep her lips dry, and one night Findlay found her in his own hot tub kissing another man. On the outside everything looked good, but Susan carried with her a big family secret. I care for you, but also care for Susan Brown and I would hate to see anyone get hurt. I remember this story well and its interesting to know how things have played out over the years. On October 25, 1994, the Union native, who was 23 years old at the time, called the police and claimed an armed black man stole her car and drove off with her two sons inside. But the rich, handsome 27-years-old broke things off with her in October writing Smith a letter clarifying he wasn't ready for a relationship involving kids. Findlay ended their relationship one week before Smith reported the children missing and he later gave investigators a copy of the letter in which he explained his feelings. Today on #CrimeStories: In March 1992, the couple separates, and they try to save their marriage between comings and goings during the next seven months. "Dear Susan," Findlay said. However, some feel it will never be forgotten. . In November 1992, the couple resumed their relationship upon the news of Susans new pregnancy. Despite its steamy undertones--despite the ripe mixture of family dysfunction and sexual shenanigans-the Smith case is ultimately a story of heartbreaking human loss. Susan graduated from Union High School in 1989 and went to work in the local Winn-Dixie supermarket as a checkout girl. "This case was an awful case of tragedy from the beginning. ", It was not her loss alone. See the 'Counting On' Kids' Houses, Look How Much the Little Couple's Kids Will and Zoey Have Grown Up, Every Look From the Kardashian-Jenner Family at the 2021 Met Gala, Gabby Petito's Texts Show 'More and More Tension' With Brian Laundrie, 'Welcome to Plathville' Kim Plath's DUI Case Closed: Fine, More Details, Sister Wives Kody, Robyn Were With a Mystery Blonde: Identity Revealed, Megan Fox and MGK's Relationship Is 'Toxic': 'There Is Concern for Her', Farrah Abraham Slams Mom-Shamers Over Daughter Sophias Piercings, Jon Gosselin Is 'Open' With Kids Collin, Hannah About Their Dating Lives. At this time Susan was having sex with at least three men. Susan could not continue working at the same place as David, so she looked for a new job. Shell have to keep behaving herself like she has been as of late, an insider told People in November 2020. One of the biggest clues that led authorities to believe Susan was lying was her story about stopping at a red light on Monarch Mills Road. Susan felt indebted to her mother and allowed her to dictate the rules. . In June 1993 he started dating a co-worker. ``Again, you will always have my friendship. After the interview, Susan met with Sheriff Wells for another questioning. Last summer, Tim and Angie Phillips came with their three small children and two family friends, one of them a 3-year-old. This happened when David and Susan's marriage was in jeopardy and had already filed for divorce. Susan Smith was having an affair with her boyfriend, Tom Findlay when such a heinous incident took place. I was not myself, she wrote in a letter to The State in 2015. A married man older than her who was an employee at the same store; another younger co-worker; and Bev, her stepfather. She was really obsessed. Smiling nervously and occasionally stumbling over his words, Findlay described an emotionally volatile Smith days before she sent her car rolling into the lake with her children strapped in their car seats. David passed, but Susans results were inconclusive. They were buckled into their car seats when their mother stepped out, lowered the emergency brake and let the car roll down the steep ramp, into the deep water. "She was scared of David," Findlay testified. The ramp led nine people to their deaths. Smith was also disciplined in 2000 for having sex four times with prison guard Houston Cagle, who later pleaded guilty and spent three months behind bars for the crime. Her saga of suicide attempts and molestation and depression and marital deception is embodied in those closest to the case. Keep scrolling below to find out more about Susan Smiths case, trial and to find out where she is today. She said she wanted to kill herself and her children, but in the end she got out of the car and sent the boys to their deaths. Williams asked again. I was not in my right mind.. Stunned by Susan's confession, mourners line the seven-mile route between the church and cemetery as David Smith buries his sons in a single casket, because 'they were just so close', At a press conference it was announced that Tommy Pope, an aggressive young prosecutor, would seek the death penalty if Smith was found guilty of the boys' murders, Tom Findlay, known as 'The Catch' in Union, testifies that he ended his affair with Susan clays before the murders because they weren't 'suited'--and he wasn't ready to be a father. And as for your relationship with B. . Something went very wrong that night. And you know, nice girls dont sleep with married men. I was not myself, she wrote in a letter to, in 2015. I can't get my head around it either! Citizens support the death penalty in general, but frequently refuse to apply it when, as in the Smith case, they are confronted with a face, a name and human frailties that, however lurid, bear at least some resemblance to their own. He is known to some local young women as "The Catch.". Find the editorial stock photo of Findlay Tom Findlay Center Former Boyfriend, and more photos in the Shutterstock collection of editorial photography. Although prosecutors sought the death penalty, Susan was sentenced to life in prison. I want you to know that I have never felt with anyone, the way I feel when I'm with you. Despite the comings and goings of their marriage, they were always present in the upbringing and education of their children. She went to Lake John D. Long and drove up a ramp, got out of the car, put the car in movement, released the parking brake and watched the car, with her children sleeping in the back seat, sank into the lake. And special thanks to my fellow true crime buffs in the True Crime Discussions group on FB, especially PAT! Chicago Tribune. She keeps business cards of reporters she may never see again. The prosecution's main weapon was tear-drenched testimony from a vengeful David Smith, who accepted a box of tissues from Judge William Howard. And city and county leaders, who had to work together to prepare Union for a trial-time media deluge, allied again this year. Every day, driving home from work, she crosses the fateful intersection where Smith had claimed she lost her children; every time, Allen remembers. Throughout the nine-day investigation, Susan received several polygraphs and was questioned about the inconsistencies in her carjacking story. Tom and Susan quickly began a casual relationship in January 1994, but in the spring David became part of her life again, and the two resumed their marriage. 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. ``Once again, Im sorry for Sat. On October 25, 1994, a then 23-year-old married mother of two sons, Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina, rolledher car into John D. Long Lake with herboys strapped inside, drowningthem both. Smith's supervisor, Sandra Williams, testified about the day Michael and Alex Smith disappeared. Current Mayor Harold Thompson said while it is something the people of Union try to forget, its a part of history now., ABC News Buildings don't tell the whole story, that Susan Smith did not simply wake up one day and decide to kill her children, that it was a lot more complicated than that. At the trial, he took partial responsibility for what Susan did to her children, saying it was his fault for utterly failing Susan. He is known to some local young women as "The Catch." Tom Findlay testified as a prosecution witness at the trial-for. At this point she seemed to get everything she wanted, especially about relationships with men. Susan Smith called the police saying that she had her car stolen by a black man who kidnapped her two young children. I know! Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). Smith was separated from her now-ex-husband, and started dating. , filed for divorce in September 1994 and it was finalized in May 1995. "A passing love affair," Halleck called it. . But the marriage slowly un-raveled. If you want to catch a nice guy like me one day, you have to act like a nice girl. The steady drip of revelation, each more damning than the last, seemed almost certain to lead to her execution. 90 Day Fiance's Hamza's Green Card Status 'Battle' Amid Memphis Divorce, '90 Day Fiance' Star Memphis Smith Alleges Hamza Moknii Was 'Abusive', 90 Day's Hamza Requested Paternity Test for Daughter Amid Memphis Split. UNION, S.C., July 25 -- A sobbing Susan Smith apologized Tuesday to her ex-husband for killing their children after he twice broke down in tears while testifying in the sentencing phase of her. Everyone is held accountable for their actions, and I would hate for people to perceive you as an unreputable person. Crime Discussions group on FB, especially about relationships with men chic-can explain that act away asks. Is a Proud Mom of 14: see her Kids Today accepted a box of tissues Judge. Working at the same place as David, '' Findlay testified most eligible bachelor in Union as! Deserve to die, who had to work in the 1990s, Susan was sentenced to life in after. 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