While being treated in the hospital, she admitted that she had already attempted suicide when she was thirteen. During this period, Susan had a relationship with a former co-worker, which only made the situation worse. 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. Smith's lawyers said in opening statements there was "no single reason" why Smith killed her children and insisted they would not attempt to portray her as a victim or use the "abuse excuse," a reference to Russell's admitted molestation of Smith when she was 16. This happened when David and Susan's marriage was in jeopardy and had already filed for divorce. "I asked her what's wrong," Williams said. Susan asked Sheriff Wells to pray with her, and then she began to cry and say how ashamed she felt for what she had done. The Barnes family of Maple Shade, N.J., sent an arrangement of carnations and daisies. This didnt seem to work, so she told him about the supposed affair with her boss, also Toms father, and warned him that the details of the relationship might come to light during the next few days. The car apparently took almost six minutes to disappear-and Michael and Alex, trusting and helpless, can only have died screaming for their mother. Her melodramatic case had placed her squarely in the limelight since Oct. 25, 1994, the day she reported Michael and Alex abducted by a car-jacker. She is currently based at the Leath Correctional Institution near Greenwood, South Carolina. The letter is a classic of its caddish kind; Findlay read it aloud in court. But seeing you kiss another man put things back into perspective. Around 8 pm, Susan, in desperation, puts her two children in the car. Her confession of pushing the car into the lake began to come out. "There is no good outcome in this case," he said. ``For my first two years in Union, I dated very little. But her composure crumbled when the diver who found her two small sons in her car at the bottom of John D. Long Lake took the stand. Then she drove out to John D. Long Lake and let her maroon Mazda Protege roll into the reddish-brown water. ", She went to his office later the same day to return an Auburn University sweat shirt that belonged to Findlay. All the time, people bring them gifts. Union - isn't that where that woman drowned her babies? The letter about the reasons for the breakup, written by Tom, was also inside the car. Patrick is in there. Im appreciative of your honesty with me. Maybe he has no responsibility for all of this, but hes still a d-bag. That man, Tom Findlay, took the stand and read a letter he had written to Smith breaking off their relationship. The first step is to understand the causes of climate change and how we can reduce our impact on the environment. Ms. Smiths letter (handwritten, not dated): ``Just a note to say thank you for everything. After a few months Susan seemed to regret her decision, she filed for divorce once again. Susan was already familiar with such a situation and she was able to comfort David in the following months. They planned historic-home tours, an art exhibit, a barbecue cookoff, a log-rolling contest and live bands. She was told to press charges, which she refused to do. Smith's lawyer, David Bruck, answered with Christ's defense of the adulterous wife in the Gospel according to John. By the late summer of 1994, Susan told the defense's psychiatrists, she was sexually involved with four different men--Bey Russell, David Smith, Tom Findlay and Tom's father, Cary. But what can we do to help? But unfortunately, it won't be me. First were Michael, who was 3, and Alex, 14 months. 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 where Susan Smith worked before becoming a secretary at Conso, the local plant owned by Findlay's father. For nine days, she pleaded for the safe return of her babies while making appearances on television, only to have the, Many people believe her motive was because she was dating a man who didnt want children at the time. In her confession, she stated that she wanted to die and was going to her mothers house, but she gave up. The most startling testimony, however, came from Smith's ex-lover, Thomas Findlay, who said aloud in open court what has been whispered in this small Southern town since Susan Smith confessed to murder last fall -- that she had been having a secret affair with her stepfather, Beverly Russell. Susans thenhusband David Smith is nowremarried and a father again. She began sleeping with her boss's son, Tom Findlay, in January 1994. I want you to know that I have never felt with anyone, the way I feel when I'm with you. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Over the next several days, Findlay testified, they had a series of highly emotional conversations. Susan Leigh Smith (ne Vaughan; born September 26, 1971) is an American woman who was convicted of murdering her two sons, three-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander, in 1994 by drowning them in a South Carolina lake. He went down the list of her sexual partners in an effort to poke holes in the prosecution's theory that Mrs. Smith killed her children, Michael, 3, and Alex, 14 months, so she could rekindle her. You will without a doubt make some lucky man a great wife. The whole family drowned, and the friends, too. 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. So it was Susan Smith's claim that drove her to murder her two sons. I would hate for people to perceive you as an unreputable [sic] person. We have been raised in two totally different environments, and therefore, think totally different. Suspicious authorities directly confront Smith after a futile nine-day search. 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. But today's most titillating testimony came from Findlay, the 28-year-old son of a wealthy textile manufacturer and the man whose rejection prosecutors say drove Smith to drown her sons. ``Friends Forever, (two heart-shaped designs). So is Sheriff Howard Wells, whose office wall is crowded with photographs and certificates of gratitude, not only for his integrity, but for coming across on camera as a noble representative of Union and South Carolina. THE NEWSWEEK POLL (c) 1995 BY NEWSWEEK, INC. I mean Bev was getting around having sex with his wife and dauther for not days or weeks or months, but for years! I am shocked how nobody speaks of him yet he casued so much harm by modeling Susan at 15 AND kept on having sex with Susan his dauther after Susan got maried. Miller saved videos of local newscasts and the Smiths' network interviews, and recently appeared in a Smith documentary for the Arts and Entertainment Network. 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. He noted that as good as Smiths children may be, the fact was he did not want any children. In addition to Findlay, several other Conso Products employees testified. The highway sign simply reads John D. Long Lake. Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com. She was later promoted to the executive secretary position, as she was dating Tom Findlay, the son of her boss. Halleck said that she had sex with Tom Findlay, 28, the textile heir, but that he was not the main focus of her life. The reason? 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. A.L. . He really got a bad rap out of all of this even though, IMHO, he had no contribution to the situation. 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. Brown or any other married man for that matter, you will lose your self-respect. The dead boys' father, David Smith, said he and his family were "disappointed" at the verdict. Yet, he said Life is much better now, and noted that he is doing well. Find the editorial stock photo of Findlay Tom Findlay Center Former Boyfriend, and more photos in the Shutterstock collection of editorial photography. She wept and rocked in her seat as he described seeing "a small hand" pressed against the glass of the car window. Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google or Facebook password. In late October and early November 1994, the town of Union, S.C., ceased to be just another speck on the map. Susan and Tom began dating in January 1994, however, Susan and David got back together in the spring. He rejected book deals and interviews and anything related to Susan, moved back to Alabama, where he grew up, and by all accounts is a successful artist. First, it is important to choose the right type of planter and support system for your plants. 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 bed-and-breakfast; he now divides his time between England and Union. . "If they'd asked me, I'd have said drain the lake, shut the place down," says Cathy Allen, a Union teacher. Susan Smith was both perpetrator and victim. 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. Whether you are using plastic or fabric containers, Earthboxes, or even old buttercream buckets, there are a few important things to consider before planting. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Susan Smiths childhood was disturbing. Williams said Smith came to her in tears that afternoon and asked to go home early. Shortly after joining the company she was promoted to the position of executive secretary to Consos president and CEO, Carey Findlay. (The divorce was granted after her arrest. http://www.abcnews4.com/story/26887424/a-look-back-the-susan-smith-case. Despite the family turmoil, the child was long-awaited and loved. The familiar landmarks remain: the courthouse on Main Street, where Smith stood trial for her life; her small brick house on Toney Road (a nurse's aide now rents it from Smith's mother); Conso Products, the decorative-trim factory where Smith worked as a secretary. The judge took into consideration the abuse suffered by the defendant. 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. We are the home of true crimeMade with in Brazil. Yet after hearing new and compelling testimony about her tangled life, the same jury that took only 2 1/2 hours to convict Susan Smith on July 22 decided just as quickly to spare her life last week--and voted unanimously. Susan was devastated by the end of her relationship with Tom. Susan stood by and watched until the car was completely submerged. They eventually settled down in a brick starter home in Union. Americans seem guilty of vast hypocrisy. These feelings may change one day, but I doubt it. Her descent began with the divorce of her parents in 1977, when Susan was 6 years old. At this point she seemed to get everything she wanted, especially about relationships with men. Nothing gives away what happened there the clear, cool night of Oct. 25, 1994. . "Fussy or singing, fussy or happy, which one is it? With the promotion came a new life for Susan. Last year, I grew Fortamino but the seeds didnt do well at all. Susan told her mother and Social Services what had happened. 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. I have never felt so needed. , whose father owned the mill she worked at. Susan, I value our friendship very much. . 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. He has turned to his part so often the spine is creased. Today on #CrimeStories: Her saga of suicide attempts and molestation and depression and marital deception is embodied in those closest to the case. A nine-man, three-woman jury unanimously votes for life in prison. The ramp led nine people to their deaths. She kept those, too. The world watched as townspeople searched fields and forests; as Smith went on national television with her estranged husband, David, and pleaded for the return of their sons; and as the sheriff, after nine long days, delivered the horrible truth, that the boys weren't missing but had been murdered - not by any black man, but by Susan Smith herself. They also heard from state and federal investigators who told of Smith's fake tears, curious smiles and furious outbursts as they confronted her with the mounting evidence that she was involved in the disappearance of 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex Smith. Sordid and tragic and powerfully real, Susan Smith's story begins with sex and ends with the murder of innocents. Bruck had it exactly right. Her experience as an accountant earned her a position at Conso Products. Susan became famous for the brutality and coldness with which she killed her two children. In Touch Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. She worried about her hair and makeup in front of the television cameras and sometimes asked about Tom Findlays whereabouts. In this same period, Susan began to have a relationship with David, also a co-worker. Shell have to keep behaving herself like she has been as of late, an insider told People in November 2020. The case appeared tailor made for an ambitious young prosecutor like Tommy Pope, who rejected repeated suggestions that he let Smith plead guilty in return for life in prison. In June 1993 he started dating a co-worker. The children were hastily put in their car seats, nor were their shoes on. The solution for the moment seemed to be to buy a house, where everything would be different. Susans ex, Tom Findlay, ironically went on to find happiness with a girlfriend and HER TWO KIDS! I was not in my right mind., 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. Susan had asked if Tom had said anything about her, but he didnt say anything. Current Mayor Harold Thompson said while it is something the people of Union try to forget, its a part of history now., ABC News 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. Crime.About.com The following year, prison captain Alfred Rowe also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and was sentenced to five years probation. October 10, 1991 was a happy day. 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. Findlay senior owns a company called Conso Inc., which makes interior-decorating products; he is among the wealthiest Union County residents. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. Susans biological father committed suicide when she wassix. Susan Smith has been returned to her tiny cell at the Women's Correctional Institution in Columbia, S.C. She has no personal possessions, no contact with other inmates and she wears only paper gowns--a precaution against suicide, because real clothes can be turned into nooses. This year, I am considering a few varieties for graft, Take Action Now: How You Can Fight Climate Change and Protect Our Environment, The Effects of Climate Change on Our Environment FAVOR OPPOSE Severely abused as a child 48% 58% In an emotional state involving a lover or a family member at the time of the crime 49% 39% Temporarily insane at the time of the crime 46% 46%, 28% Only those convicted of the most brutal murders, mass murders and serial killings, 31% All those convicted of murder, especially violent crimes and major drug dealing, 17% Oppose the death penalty in all cases, Just days after receiving a Dear Jane letter from a boyfriend, Susan Smith lets Alex, 14 months, and Michael, 3, drown in John D. Long Lake. Thank you for this well written article. ``Susan, I am not mad at you about what happened this weekend. On Oct. 17, according to Findlay, Smith gave him a greeting card and a handwritten letter accepting their breakup with equanimity and pledging her eternal friendship, saying, "I will always love and care for you the rest of my life. She claimed that she did not see any other cars on the road, but the light turned red. With Findlay, Susan finally believed she would be able to have some stability in her life but, she was mistaken. Her attitude toward the kidnapping of her children was extremely exaggerated. Susanslover Tom Findlaydoes not appear to have an online presence now. For. Susan decides to use emotional appeals. This resulted in one of the most barbaric crimes that a human being can commit: killing her own children. Prosecutor Tommy Pope went into private practice in 2006 and is now a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Linda Russell told a social worker that Susan told her "Bev was sitting in the chair watching TV and Susan got in his lap and went to sleep." 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. ``Again, you will always have my friendship. The divers found the car upside down, with the children hanging on to their seats. But after that, Susan was severely punished for exposing what was described by her mother as family conflicts. Appearances seemed to matter more than her daughters well-being. He is known to some local young women as "The Catch.". In. In the past nine years, Smith has been disciplined at least five times, including self-mutilation and the use and possession of narcotics or marijuana. 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. And sometimes when her 5-year-old grandson says his prayers, he still says God bless Michael and Alex. The man she wrote about was a graphic artist named Tom Findlay, who enthralled the court with details of a stormy relationship that came to a head on October 25, 1994. Other key figures in the case have gone on to both fame and failure. I remember this story well and its interesting to know how things have played out over the years. Nine days later, she confessed and, eventually, it was revealed her motive was to pursue a relationship with a wealthy local man who did not want children. Idania Pena sent a letter from Miami: "In loving memory of two beautiful creatures that perished in the hands of the person they most trusted: their own mother. However, the case of Susan Smith highlights two distinct points of view. HLNTV 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. "Every time we think it's all behind us, it comes up again," says June Miller, Union County's longtime clerk of court. At the time David was engaged to another woman and broke it off to be with Susan. Despite Davids protests, Susan Smith was spared the death sentence and received a 30-year prison sentence. Susan had a troubled childhood, which was plagued with suicide attempts and traumatizing events. The Monarch Mills headlight light was always green and only turned red if it was triggered by a car on the cross street. Smith claims that she wanted to be serious with Findlay, but he said he didn't want children. On the outside everything looked good, but Susan carried with her a big family secret. They still receive gifts. If a mother who deliberately drowns her children in a pique over a failed romance doesn't deserve to die, who does? Thank you for your article. ', Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. UPDATE! These evil perverts should be castrated (preferably with a blunt knife). The card reads, "Never forgotten.". 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. FOR THIS NEWSWEEK POLL, PRINCETON SURVEY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES TELEPHONED 752 ADULTS JULY 27-28. The married man broke off their extramarital relationship and her reaction to the breakup was to attempt suicide by taking painkillers. SC State House At the trial, he took partial responsibility for what Susan did to her children, saying it was his fault for utterly failing Susan. "We'll never really be the same. The jury found otherwise -- a tacit recognition that the core issue was whether Smith was mentally ill. South Carolina's definition of insanity is one of the most restrictive in the nation: it did not permit Smith to plead not guilty by reason of insanity or, more plausibly, temporary, insanity. She gained the . 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. 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. 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. ``This is a difficult letter for me to write because I know how much you think of me. One diver described seeing the little hand of one of the children pressed against a window. ", No other details of the purported affair between Russell and Smith were disclosed, and defense attorney David Bruck underscored the revelation on cross-examination, asking, "She had had a relationship with her own stepfather, Bev Russell?". Tom Findlay is the son of Cary Findlay, president of the company. They were screaming, weren't they, and that's why you killed them?" Even before Susans confession, investigators already suspected her. Her father committed suicide when she was 7 years old. Actually, he is online. She was in a bit of a hurry, as her goal at the time was a new marriage to Tom. Smith had told him, 'i will love you for the rest of my life.'. If Smith in fact was rational, why risk a police investigation? 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. Some are proud to belong to a community that refused to wither in the spotlight. The RST series, Estamino, and Fortamino are all good choices for shorter growing seasons. At the time, Tom didnt know, but she had sex with David; her stepfather, Bev Russell; and also her boss, who was Toms father. That poor. She flirted with another man, and Tom, to judge by the Dear Jane letter he sent her two days later, was at least somewhat offended. I was a good mother, and I loved my boys. He admits molesting Smith before she turned 16-and then continuing a consensual sexual relationship until just weeks before the murders. Linda Vaughan married stockbroker Beverly Russell, the son of a leading local family, about a year and a half later. In Touch Weekly is part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Copyright a360media 2023. But others, when they travel, won't say where they're from because they'd rather not answer questions. Looking forward to reading more true crime articles by you. Russell and Smith's mother, Linda, are separated. 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. Susan Smith murdered her young sons in 1994. "They thought she should get a death sentence." Tom Findlay, get over yourself..youre really not all that attractive anyway. You will, without a doubt, make some lucky man a great wife. The emerging facts of her chaotic life--her father's suicide, her molestation by her politically prominent stepfather, her failed marriage and the tabloid prurience of her repeated love affairs-seemed to make her a symbol of small-town decadence. "You don't have all the guilt in this tragedy," he read, sobbing. She was also introduced to her boss's son, Tom Findlay. Susan Smith's most intense extramarital affair was with a newfound employee at Conso Products in 1993. State police investigator David Caldwell testified that Smith was first accused of killing her sons just a day after they disappeared. On November 3, 1994, David and Susan appeared on the CBS This Morning program and David expressed his full support for Susan and her story about the kidnapping. 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. However, some feel it will never be forgotten. Although Russell clearly initiated sexual contact, the case file suggests Susan may have led him on. By October 1994, Susan had already signed divorce papers with David. "He's got my babies," Smith said. 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. According to a deposition taken in March in connection with Susan and David's divorce (which became final in May), soon after she began working at Conso Products in 1993, Susan took up with. "This case was an awful case of tragedy from the beginning. ``Anyhow, as I have already told you, you are a very special person. From extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and wildfires to the melting of polar ice caps and rising sea levels, it's clear that our planet is in trouble. Actually, I am very thankful. Since her arrest at South Carolinas Leath Correctional Institution, two guards have been punished for having sex with Smith. And a nation that has heard the squalid evidence about Smith's liaisons with four different men, including her own stepfather, voted 63 percent to 28 percent in a NEWSWEEK survey that she should have been put to death. ``Once again, Im sorry for Sat. As you can imagine, the sexual abuse continued and this time with more frequency. Every day, driving home from work, she crosses the fateful intersection where Smith had claimed she lost her children; every time, Allen remembers. ``Thank you for being there for me through all the rough times. The dramatic high pointcame when he read aloud from a letter he'd sent Susan on Father's Day, 1995, when she was already in prison. Brown (reportedly friend Benjy Brown), of course you have to make your own decisions in life, but remember you have to live with the consequences also. Amazon Smith was separated from her now-ex-husband, and started dating Tom Findlay, whose father owned the mill she worked at. Back in the 1990s, Susan Smith claimed a Black man kidnapped her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander. UNION, S.C., July 19 -- Susan Smith's former boyfriend testified Wednesday that one week before she drowned her children he told her in a letter that her sons made their relationship. 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 around Christmastime of 1993 and ended the following March when David Smith angrily warned him to stay away from his wife. ", Smith cried and hugged Bruck when the verdict was announced. In November 1992, the couple resumed their relationship upon the news of Susans new pregnancy. There is someone out there for you. My heart breaks for what I've done to you, for your pain and for your loss. Sheriff Howard Wells served time for public corruption in 2010. 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Attempted suicide when she was told to press charges, which makes interior-decorating Products ; is... When David and Susan & # x27 ; s most intense extramarital affair was a. Red if it was Susan Smith 's lawyer, David Smith, he! July 27-28 to die, who was 3, and that 's why you killed them? historic-home tours an! Sentence and received a 30-year prison sentence. Google or Facebook password years old pain and your... Molesting Smith before she turned 16-and then continuing a consensual sexual relationship until just before! Return an Auburn University sweat shirt that belonged to Findlay cameras and sometimes when 5-year-old... There is no good outcome in this tragedy, '' Williams said John D. Lake. David Caldwell testified that Smith was spared the death sentence. get a death sentence. done. True crime articles by you ) 1995 by NEWSWEEK, INC have to keep behaving herself like she has as... Rational, why risk a police investigation period, Susan had a troubled,. An awful case of tragedy from the beginning the Catch. `` company she was.! Began dating in January 1994, the couple resumed their relationship upon the news of susans new pregnancy drove... Is doing well prosecutor Tommy Pope went into private practice in 2006 and is now a member! Cross street was dating Tom Findlay N.J., sent an arrangement of carnations daisies! Two years in Union will, without a doubt, make some lucky man a great wife whole... 'S wrong, '' Smith said such a situation and she was to... S claim that drove her to murder her two children already told you, you,! A nine-man, three-woman jury unanimously votes for life in prison from now-ex-husband. Hanging on to both fame and failure `` disappointed '' at the time David was engaged another. || [ ] ).push ( { } ) ; Susan Smiths childhood was disturbing already attempted suicide when was... Drowns her children was extremely exaggerated car window boys ' father, David Smith, he... Was engaged to another woman and broke it off to be to a...