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." In this (thankfully) small pool, there are still those that stand out in the minds of the public and perhaps one of the most well-known in the U.S. is convicted murderer Susan Smith, who, per A&E, was found guilty in 1995 for intentionally killing both of her sons. On October 17, 1994, just days before Susan and Davids divorce papers were filed, Tom Findlay sent a Dear John letter to Susan. He, Joel Guy Jr., 28, murdered and dismembered his parents and attempted to dissolve their bodies in chemicals, after they told, Rachel Barber, 15, was drugged and strangled to death with a telephone cord in an attempt to steal her identity., Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her own neighbor and a good family friend, Robert Berchtold, a churchgoer and a frequent, According to local reports, Shane Goldsby, 26, was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison on Tuesday for the, Mitchell Quy stood and watched as the police searched for his missing wife, and he even joined the search himself., Arne Johnson's trial was the first known court case in the United States in which the defense attempted to prove. Back in the 1990s, Susan Smith claimed a Black man kidnapped her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander. 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 January 19, 2015, Smith wrote a letter to Columbia, South Carolinas The State newspaper explaining what allegedly drove her to kill her children. [4] He sent her a lot of money.. Prosecutors say she killed her sons to remove an obstacle to a love affair with her wealthy boss son. Per the source, it's because Smith "knows that her parole date is [a few] years away and she can't get parole if she isn't being good." As the murder trial of Susan Smith begins this week in Union, Judge William L. Howard Jr., who is barring all cameras from the courtroom, has indicated that the proceedings will not come to. Her first parole hearing will be in 2025 she will be fifty-three. All Rights Reserved. She attended and graduated from Lexington High School in 1957. All the conspiracies surrounding Nicola Bulleys disappearance and death, Who killed Jeffrey Epstein? David was already engaged to another woman, but he broke it off to pursue a relationship with Smith. The parents loved their son very much, but their personality differences were putting a strain on the marriage. Lived In Pittsburgh PA, Upper . She was a leader in her schools Civitan Club, which was for volunteering to help around the community, and in her senior yearbook she was titled friendliest female. The funeral of Susan Smiths kids, Michael and Alexander. "I was a good mother and I loved my boys. THE CASE OF SUSAN SMITH: THEORY TO APPLICATION 1 The case of Susan Smith began on October 25, 1994. Susan and David married on March 15, 1991, and the couple moved into Davids great-grandmothers house. Then, learn about Alice Crimmins, the New York mom accused of killing her kids. All the drama surrounding the duo. Excerpts from a letter Susan Smith wrote to Tom Findlay on Oct. 17, and his reply, written the same day and given to her Oct. 18. And is there a possibility that she could set foot into the world again one day as a free woman? 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. Susan Smith, a mother from South Carolina, was convicted of murdering her two sons by drowning them in South Carolina Lake. Tom Findlay and Smith were among five people who partied nude in a hot tub at Cary Findlay's estate Oct. 15, 10 days before the boys were drowned in a lake. Susan Smith (ne Daniels 1961 [3] - June 8, 1989) was an American FBI informant. Tom Findleythe son of the owner of the company where Smith worked as a secretarywho didn't want children. Refine Your Search Results. While following other leads about the supposed black carjacker. https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/susan-smith-now. All rights reserved Bugged Space 2019-2022, Susan Smith and Tom Findlay; the boyfriend, Meet Andrea Yates; The Mother Who Murdered Her Children By Drowning Them One-By-One in The Bathtub, Man beats wife to death in front of kids, send a pic of the corpse. Smith made an emotional plea on the television for the safe return of her children. ``I think the real focus is not the nature of the crime, he said, ``but what is the right thing to do.. She was strangled by her handler and lover, FBI agent Mark Putnam. The story opens with 23-year-old Susan Smith leaving her job at the Consol Products company, working as a secretary. Meanwhile, she and her older brothers were moving into the home of their new stepfather (Bev) with their mom. Susan Smith (born Susan Vaughan) led a troubled childhood, though nobody at her high school would have noticed. Susan hadnt been a model prisoner, as she has been disciplined five times for offenses, including for drug uses. I was not in my right mind.. In her written confession, Susan Smith claimed that she was suicidal on the evening of October 25th. Susan Knick Smith, 67. Smith was cited as having strange reactions for a grieving mother, being overly concerned about her appearance before going on television, and even sometimes asking about Tom Findlay. ``To see unfolded before my eyes the principle of reaping and sowing, to lose Michael and . From Zero to Hero: Write Your Short in 30 days, How to stream the upcoming UFC fights for free, Is Madeleine McCann alive? Susan Smith had two of her own intimate relationships starting in the summer of 1998. Findley had reportedly ended their romance just days before Smith committed the crimes. Starting at a very early age, Susan Smith suffered unspeakable tragedy. In 2000, Smith was disciplined for having sex four times with 50-year-old prison guard Houston Cagle. Browse from a variety of styles, sets, and sizes of women's wear for every fit and occasion. Divorced now and selling the brick ranch house where Smith grew up, the 54-year-old mother and grandmother who has been portrayed as cold, controlling and hard-edged is showing her emotional. Tom Findlay's letter, as gentle as it tried to be, had brought Susan Smith in direct and brutal contact with her own lies, deceit, narcissism, and lust. Related To . Susan Leigh Vaughan was born on September 26, 1971 in Union, South . According to the . She is serving a life sentence in Leath Correctional institute in North Carolina after she eventually confessed to the murder of her children. He also admitted sexually assaulting Smith when she was 16, but said that she and her mother never pressed charges. As a teenager, Susan was well-liked and outgoing. "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. 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. Tom Findlay left Conso this year and now works as a graphic artist in another South Carolina town. Susan Smith, now 34, was 23 and estranged from David on the day she claimed that a black man had taken her car along with the kids Michael, three, and Alex, 14 months. Today Susan Smith is incarcerated at Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood, South Carolina. But the Union, South Carolina moms dramatic story turned out to be a tall taleand nine days after those initial claims, Smith admitted there had been no assailant and no kidnapping. Keep on scrolling to find out more. The jury has heard embarrassing testimony about Smith's affair with co-worker Tom Findlay and her claim _ which she later recanted _ that she slept with J. Cary Findlay, Tom Findlay's father and Conso's chairman. Javed Iqbal, a Pakistani serial killer who killed exactly 100 young boys, ranging from age 6 to 16. My main purpose was to bring her pills. They assisted police by printing out thousands of missing posters and distributing photos of the kids; tying yellow ribbons around mailboxes and telephones; and scouting wooded areas on horseback. Donna Garner is Ms. Smiths closest friend. When her mother Linda married Beverly C. Russell Jr., it seemed the familys luck was looking up. . He swore to never do it again and agreed to family therapy, but then kept abusing Susan who revealed as much in February 1988. The letter included reasons to end their relationship, the reasons being differences in their backgrounds. So what has Susan Smith's life been like for well over two decades? Obituary. Susan Smith, then 23, claims that a black man hijacked her car and drove away with her children inside. Smith was willingly sleeping with Bev, and also began sleeping with Tom Findlay. Susan Smith, leaving court in this photo, was convicted on July 22, 1995 of murdering her two sons, 3-year-old Michael Daniel Smith and 14-month-old Alexander Tyler Smith. In October of 1991, the Smiths welcomed their first son into the world and named him Michael. As her story began to unravel, Smith admitted that there was no carjacker, and that she had let her car roll into a lake with Michael, 3, and Alex, 14 months, still strapped in their car seats. I could never express in words how much you mean to me. "A passing love affair," Halleck called it. It is highly unlikely Susan will make paroleat least not the first time, Ozmint noted. Financial analysts who follow Conso, a publicly owned company whose stock is traded in the over-the-counter market, said they do not think Conso will be damaged by the trial. 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. ", Florida migrant flights lawsuit dismissed in wake of Legislature passing law, Editorial Cartoons for Thursday from Times Wire Services, Bucs new coordinator is confident! Forgiving, Smith said, is "something I guess I . Mayor Jane Castors partner vowed not to lobby the city. She gained the . In the letter she claimed that she intended to kill herself with her children, but she changed her plan in the final moment. When Susan Smith's story was first broadcast to the public she appeared to be a distraught mother desperate for the return of her two children. Tom Findlay, Susan Smith's ex-lover, started a new life in Birmingham, Ala. Cary Findlay, who is Tom Findlay's father and Susan Smith's former employer, let his mansion become a. Her father died by suicide when Susan was just 6 years old, and Susan herself tried to commit suicide at age 13. When Susan Smith was sixteen years old her stepfather began to treat her differently he was sexually abusing her. But testimony in Smith's murder trial has thrust Union County's biggest employer into the national spotlight. Tom was her bosss son, and rather rich. She would ultimately find a partner in David Smith, a fellow Winn-Dixie supermarket worker who was raised a Jehovahs Witness by strict parents. Susan Smith, now 50, is keeping herself down now and following the rules in jail. He said they had sex. Updated: 8:42 AM EDT July 18, 2003. The Disturbing Story Of Susan Smith, The Woman Who Drowned Her Children In A Lake. Cellmate Secrets: Susan Smith will air tonight at 10 ET/9 CT on Lifetime following the enhanced edition of the original Lifetime movie Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story at 8 ET/7 CT. Halleck said that she had sex with Tom Findlay, 28, the textile heir, but that he was not the main focus of her life. She began sleeping with her boss's son, Tom Findlay, in January 1994. She knows that her parole date is four years away and she cant get parole if she isnt being good., In 2020, Melissa Moore, a crime correspondent for The Dr. Oz Show, said that while communicating with Smith in prison, she realized Smith was a joy to talk to, saying, If she did not commit those crimes, she would be your best friend.. 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. Mr. Findlay testified that when he called Mrs. Smith's house on one occasion, Mr. Smith snatched the phone from her. As a $17,000-a-year secretary to Cary Findlay, Smith worked for one of Union's wealthiest people. She told the police, the media, and her family a lie, that her vehicle had been carjacked by a black man who drove away with her sons still inside. In 2000, an imprisoned Smith became embroiled in controversy again after allegedly having sex with a prison guard named Houston Cagle. 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.'' romance just days before Smith committed the crimes. For. But the sympathy she gained quickly faded as the evidence began to show that she was responsible for her sons' deaths. On Nov. 3, amid an intensive search, she confessed. Under South Carolina law, Smith will be eligible for parole in 30 years, although the notorious nature of her crime makes it unlikely she will ever be released. Susan told her high school guidance counselor and her mother about the abuse in 1987 when she was 16. The authorities questioned both Susan and David Smith in hopes of getting some answers. 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". One day in October 1994, Susan Smiths kids, three-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander, joined her for a drive. 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. Later that year, she attempted suicide yet again. For the unfamiliar, the murders for which Susan Smith was convicted took place in 1994, when she was 23. If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 18007997233 or TTY 18007873224. 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. Despite the animosity in the marriage both parents were seen as devoted to the children. Tom Findlay, according to the Chicago Tribune. Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma/Getty ImagesThe funeral of Susan Smiths kids, Michael and Alexander. He also said he didnt anticipate the woman being freed anytime soon. A divorced father of three, Russell was a thriving stockbroker, and a member of both South Carolinas Republican community and the Christian Coalition. 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. Inside the car with the bodies of Mrs. Smith's sons -- Michael, 3 years old, and Alex, 14 months -- was a letter from the man she loved telling her that their relationship would never work, in part because of her children. The prosecution claimed that since she killed her children it was easy for her to gain the sympathy of her former boyfriend Tom Findly. Find the editorial stock photo of Findlay Tom Findlay Center Former Boyfriend, and more photos in the Shutterstock collection of editorial photography. And Smith already had two sons. After graduating from high school, she then met David Smith, the man who would become the father of her two children. The sketch described half of the African American men who lived in the community. Dr. Rekers explores the facts and offers fascinating psychological explanations to help the public . In March 1988, Russell admitted sexually assaulting Ms. Smith when she was 16, but she and her mother decided not to press charges. At that point, says Rowe, "She could not longer get the male attention that she used as a drug.". 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