More than three decades after she drowned her two young sons and fabricated a story that riveted the nation, convicted child killer Susan Smith will once again ask South Carolina officials to set her free.
Susan Smith during a court hearing. Convicted child killer Susan Smith, scheduled for a parole hearing 30 years after she let her car roll into a lake with her two toddler sons strapped inside, will remain in prison if the lead trial prosecutor has his way.
Smith's second parole hearing since becoming eligible for release is set for Nov. 19. She was first denied parole in November 2024 after serving 30 years of a life sentence for the killings of her two sons, Michael and Alex, in Union County.
The case remains one of South Carolina's most infamous crimes.
In 1994, Smith told authorities that an armed Black man carjacked her vehicle with her children inside, prompting an extensive search effort that drew national media attention and widespread public sympathy.
Nine days later, investigators determined Smith's account was false and discovered her vehicle submerged in a lake with her sons inside.
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Smith became eligible for parole in 2024 after serving the minimum portion of her life sentence required under South Carolina law. Her first request for release was unanimously denied by the South Carolina parole board.
According to previous reporting by The Greenville News, Smith will again seek her release during the Nov. 19 hearing. If granted parole, she would be released after spending more than three decades in prison.
The crime that shocked the nation
On Oct. 25, 1994, Smith reported that her car was stolen from her while her sons, 3-year-old Michael Smith and 14-month-old Alex Smith, remained strapped in their car seats. For days, the nation followed Smith’s emotional pleas as law enforcement agencies searched for the boys and pursued the alleged kidnapper.
Investigators eventually determined the abduction story was fabricated. Authorities discovered that Smith allowed her Mazda to roll into John D. Long Lake in Union County with the children still secured in their seats, causing them to drown. The revelation transformed a highly publicized missing-children case into one of the state's most shocking murder investigations.
During Smith's murder trial, prosecutors argued she killed her children after a man with whom she was having an affair indicated he did not want a relationship that included children. Prosecutors contended that the boys became an obstacle to the future Smith envisioned for herself.
Smith was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. After serving the required portion of that sentence, she became eligible for parole in 2024.
First parole bid rejected
During Smith's first parole hearing in November 2024, family members and supporters of the victims urged board members to deny her release. Smith's ex-husband and the boys' father, David Smith, said he planned to continue opposing any future attempts to secure parole.
The board ultimately denied Susan Smith's request, ensuring she would remain incarcerated and eligible to seek parole again at a later date.
The South Carolina parole board is expected to hear testimony and review materials related to her incarceration and rehabilitation before voting on whether to grant or deny parole. The hearing is scheduled for Nov. 19.
If parole is denied, Smith will remain in prison and may have another opportunity to seek release in the future under South Carolina parole procedures.
