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Susan Smith's is one of the most infamous cases in US criminal history. In 1994, she murdered her two young sons, Michael and Alexander, in a brutal act that stunned and appalled the country. At first, Smith had said that a black man had carjacked her car with her children inside, prompting a massive search effort and national media coverage.
She pleaded emotionally for nine days for the safe return of her children, playing the role of a desperate mother who needed help. But as the investigation progressed, inconsistencies in her narrative alerted authorities to suspect her in their disappearance. Eventually, Smith admitted to the killings after the police showed her evidence that refuted her allegations.
Dateline's episode titled Return to the Lake will cover Susan Smith's case. It is a two-hour episode, and it is set to be aired on February 14, 2025, at 9 PM ET on NBC.
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5 shocking details about Susan Smith's crimes
1) The deceptive carjacking tale
According to ABC News, Susan Smith initially reported her two sons missing and said they had been abducted by a black man in a carjacking. The fabricated tale created a huge search effort and received national media coverage. For nine days, she cried on national television, begging for the return of her children safely, and acted like an upset mother.
As reported, the investigators were immediately suspicious of her account because of discrepancies in her narrative. They could hardly believe that a vehicle would just disappear into thin air, considering the massive search operations that were being conducted at the time.
2) The method of murder
According to NBC News, on November 3, 1994, Smith admitted to the killings after police presented her with evidence contrary to her allegations. She confessed to buckling her sons into their car seats and letting her car roll into John D. Long Lake while they were still buckled in.
Another detail in this case is that she stood by and watched as they drowned, indicating a planned act as opposed to a spur-of-the-moment act. According to the BBC, investigators later determined that the car had remained afloat for several minutes before sinking, which meant Smith had time to intervene but chose not to.
3) The personal motive behind the crime
According to BBC, Smith's motivations for killing her children were linked to her desire to pursue a relationship with a wealthy man named Tom Findlay. Reports indicate that Findlay ended their relationship shortly before the murders because he did not want children.
According to CNN, this rejection seems to have pushed Smith to commit the unthinkable crime against her sons, whom she saw as barriers to her happiness. During the trial, prosecutors maintained that this motive of personal fulfillment was key to why Smith would resort to such extremes.
4) The emotional manipulation
According to ABC News, after her sons' deaths, Susan Smith practiced emotional manipulation by presenting herself on national television as a sad mother. Her on-air appeals for assistance were tragic and inspired public sympathy. But that was all a front that crashed when she was faced with proof of her culpability.
Most commentators observed how terrifying it was that she could pretend such intense grief, aware that she knew what transpired to her children. Her capacity for deluding the public further adds another dimension of terror to this terrible saga.
5) The aftermath and legal consequences
According to CNN, following her admission of having committed the murders, Susan Smith was arrested and later convicted in 1995. She was given a life sentence with parole eligibility after 30 years. The case received extensive media attention and public outcry, especially given the nature of her offense and the earlier deception.
Despite being eligible for parole in November 2024, most individuals continue to oppose her release because of the brutality of her crime and doubt whether she has been rehabilitated despite serving 30 years in prison.
For more details on the Susan Smith case, watch the Dateline episode on NBC.
