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. And sometimes when her 5-year-old grandson says his prayers, he still says God bless Michael and Alex. You will without a doubt make some lucky man a great wife. CAPTION: Thomas Findlay, right, Susan Smith's former boyfriend, leaves courthouse. The jury took less than 3 hours to return a guilty verdict on two charges of murder. Thank you for your article. 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. Employees of Winn-Dixie, the grocery store where David Smith worked, paid for it as a lasting tribute. ``For my first two years in Union, I dated very little. Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for Timothy McVeigh if he is convicted of the bombing in Oklahoma City? "A passing love affair," Halleck called it. . She goes to Tom and reveals that she has been having sex with her stepfather since she was 16. Susan Smith is an American criminal who was found guilty of killing her two young sons in order to continue a relationship with a man. 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. The car apparently took almost six minutes to disappear-and Michael and Alex, trusting and helpless, can only have died screaming for their mother. The Monarch Mills headlight light was always green and only turned red if it was triggered by a car on the cross street. Her descent began with the divorce of her parents in 1977, when Susan was 6 years old. The witnesses were pivotal figures in Smith's life-men she had slept with, people who'd loved her and, in the case of her ex-husband, someone whose life she had ruined. After the first sentence, insert eyes rolling in parentheses. Williams testified about a conversation with Susan Smith on Oct. 17, eight days before the murders: "I have a problem," Smith said. 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. ``Even though you think we have much in common, we are vastly different. Her saga of suicide attempts and molestation and depression and marital deception is embodied in those closest to the case. Recently, someone gave them a toy truck, a tiny plastic horse, two pinwheels (one for each brother), a plaster angel kneeling in prayer, a $2 bouquet of supermarket flowers and miniature wind chimes, left to tinkle softly in the country graveyard. David Smith worked in the store as a produce clerk. "She said, 'I'm going to give you this; I may not see you again'," Findlay recalled. 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. "Everything I had planned on, my life with my kids, was gone. I know! At the time, Tom didnt know, but she had sex with David; her stepfather, Bev Russell; and also her boss, who was Toms father. This compact, bushy plant produces bright red tomatoes that ripen early in the season. . In his Dear John letter, he was honest with the girl and told her they would never be together although I did think he sounds like a total D-bag (re: ..maybe somebay youll meet a nice guy like me. Whatever!). UNION, S.C. - Michael would have turned 6 last month, and Alex by now would be 4. The reason? She worried about her hair and makeup in front of the television cameras and sometimes asked about Tom Findlays whereabouts. In Touch Weekly is part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Copyright a360media 2023. 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. David felt left out. He noted that as good as Smiths children may be, the fact was he did not want any children. SUSAN SMITH'S LETTER TO TOM FINDLAY Dear Tom, Just a note to say thank you for everything. Smith and her husband, David Smith, filed for divorce in September 1994 and it was finalized in May 1995. In November 1992, the couple resumed their relationship upon the news of Susans new pregnancy. Red Rocket is a determinate tomato variety that is well-suited to hot, muggy climates like those found south of Memphis. With the promotion came a new life for Susan. I was not in my right mind.. However, some feel it will never be forgotten. The married man broke off their extramarital relationship and her reaction to the breakup was to attempt suicide by taking painkillers. . She was also introduced to her boss's son, Tom Findlay. They came because it was the third anniversary of the brothers' deaths. Findlay ended their relationship one week before Smith reported the. Even before Susans confession, investigators already suspected her. Susan and Tom began dating in January 1994, however, Susan and David got back together in the spring. And special thanks to my fellow true crime buffs in the True Crime Discussions group on FB, especially PAT! 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. At this time Susan was having sex with at least three men. In January 1994, Susan started dating a co-worker from her job at Conso Products Tom Findlay. 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. Union - isn't that where that woman drowned her babies? Was she just a victim of the abuse she suffered, or a cold-hearted murderer of her two young children? Susan Smith's attorney, David Bruck, summed up the case as bad for all, calling it "an awful human tragedy." Join the world's news leader for an in-depth multimedia look at the top news stories of 1995. . But seeing you kiss another man put things back into perspective. In the years since the murders, Davidhas switchedto a career as a commercial truck driver, moved 25 miles away from Union to the town of Moore, S.C., married Tiffany in 2003 and became the father to a girl and a boy, Savannah and Nicolas. Many sent her flowers after the trial. Brackett, who is still something of a spokesman for Union's black community. The sheriff wanted to find the bodies first, and then call David to tell him the truth. Im just going to live one day at a time. Beverly Russell, a leader of the Christian Coalition at one time, and Linda Russell split up before the trial. In addition to Findlay, several other Conso Products employees testified. David Smith, last anyone heard, had moved to Florida. After initially standing by Susans side until he learned the truth and then grieving over the small caskets of his boys at their funeral while Susanwas in jail, it now appears David has been able to move on. In 1994, Susan sued for divorce, alleging infidelity, and David later counter-sued, also alleging infidelity. Smith, now 26, is in prison in Columbia; she was sentenced in 1995 to life in prison and must serve at least 30 years. 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. Around 8 pm, Susan, in desperation, puts her two children in the car. Susan could not continue working at the same place as David, so she looked for a new job. 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). Russell, 48, was then active in South Carolina Republican politics and in Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition--but he is no longer, and the shattering disclosures triggered by his stepdaughter's prosecution are the reason. The RST series, Estamino, and Fortamino are all good choices for shorter growing seasons. Susans mother, Linda Russell, continuedto support her daughter,claiming as recently as five years ago thatSusan simply lost touch with reality at the momentshe murdered her sons. She is currently based at the Leath Correctional Institution near Greenwood, South Carolina. They planned historic-home tours, an art exhibit, a barbecue cookoff, a log-rolling contest and live bands. They argued there was no evidence, as the defense claimed, that Smith had driven to the lake to commit suicide. She reddened slightly and stared back at him. 1000s of new photos added daily. On the other hand, he sounds quite narcissistic and preachy in his Dear John letter, and he isnt even attractive. But others, when they travel, won't say where they're from because they'd rather not answer questions. . The case of Susan Smith, the woman who killed her young sons in 1994, will be explored in the upcoming Lifetime docuseries Cellmate Secrets. Actually, he is online. ", To prosecutors, Findlay's emphasis on the children was Smith's motive for murder. 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. I told her the intimate part of our relationship would have to end. THE MARGIN OF ERROR IS +/- 4 PERCENTAGE POINTS. On Oct. 18, Findlay wrote Smith, breaking off the relationship because he did "not want the responsibility of children." Over the next week,. also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and was sentenced to five years probation. I was not myself, she wrote in a letter to The State in 2015. "Giving her the death penalty wouldn't serve justice.". 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, There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. On the weekend of Oct. 15, Tom invited Susan to his father's estate for a hot-tub party. "If they'd asked me, I'd have said drain the lake, shut the place down," says Cathy Allen, a Union teacher. 'You don't have all the guilt,' Beverly Russell, Smith's stepfather, says at her trial. The justice system imposes the death penalty far more often than it actually delivers it (page 24). His father attempted suicide and his mother left for another city. 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. Susan and David Smith were married on March 15, 1991 and moved into Davids great-grandmothers home; the two could not afford to buy a house. 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. The two had always proved to be good parents. However, a letter sent by Tom Findlay took Susan by surprise. Susan became famous for the brutality and coldness with which she killed her two children. One of the most intriguing parts of this story was Lindas conduct in the face of abuse. He relocated to another city and runs an art business using his first and middle name. Current Mayor Harold Thompson said while it is something the people of Union try to forget, its a part of history now., ABC News I was not ready to assume the important responsibilities of being a father, Findlay wrote in a statement issued through his lawyers. "But forgive--that's something I'm going to have to deal with, I guess, further on down the road. 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. The Barnes family of Maple Shade, N.J., sent an arrangement of carnations and daisies. Everything is different except the gently rippled lake and its thick ring of trees. That man, Tom Findlay, took the stand and read a letter he had written to Smith breaking off their relationship. These feelings may change one day, but I doubt it. What the jurors heard was the fullest account yet of why she did it--and in the end, confronted with the pathos of it all, they decided both sides were right. Susan can't get over Tom Findlay It was October 25, 1994, Susan was at work. Caldwell said. A.L. It seemed to be the first time she had ever been rejected by a man. 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. She keeps business cards of reporters she may never see again. People.com One diver described seeing the little hand of one of the children pressed against a window. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. , the woman who killed her young sons in 1994, will be explored in the upcoming Lifetime docuseries. Follow me on Instagram down below. Who is he to be dishing out advice? . Findlay said Smith was in a suicidal panic the day before her children disappeared because she feared her estranged husband, David Smith, was "going to make it public" that she had cheated on him with Russell, who was then active in the Christian Coalition and state Republican Party politics. 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. Pastors who together counseled the inconsolable community became close friends. It was such an unbearable thing.". The letter gave reasons justifying the end of the relationship. , filed for divorce in September 1994 and it was finalized in May 1995. Smith claims a black carjacker stole her Mazda with the two children inside and helps police create a sketch of the suspect. "Susan, I am not mad at you about what happened" at the hot-tub party, Findlay wrote. Is Every Duggar Ridiculously Messy? This resulted in one of the most barbaric crimes that a human being can commit: killing her own children. ``Susan, I could really fall for you. 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. David never questioned the paternity of the child despite their separation. She wept and rocked in her seat as he described seeing "a small hand" pressed against the glass of the car window. In Northern California, side grafting wasnt very successful either. But like I have told you before, there are some things about you that arent suited for me, and yes, I am speaking about your children. In fact, its probably someone that you may not know at this time or that you may know, but would never expect. This development led to Smiths arrest and confession that she was behind her childrens tragic deaths. Name: Susan Vaughan Smith D.O.B: September 26, 1971 Place of Birth: Union, South Carolina Parents: Linda & Harry Vaughan Conviction Date: July 22, 1995 Sentence: LIFE . Susan graduated from Union High School in 1989 and went to work in the local Winn-Dixie supermarket as a checkout girl. . He cited the differences in their backgrounds, and was also emphatic about not wanting children or wanting to raise children. As a $17,000-a-year secretary to Cary Findlay, Smith worked for one of Union's wealthiest people. ``Susan, I am not mad at you about what happened this weekend. 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, 28, is a graphic designer who works in his father's firm. He admits molesting Smith before she turned 16-and then continuing a consensual sexual relationship until just weeks before the murders. 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. She was two months pregnant--the child was David's-when they were married on March 15, 1991. Such a position also gave her the chance to get close to her boss son, one of Unions most desired bachelors, Tom Findlay. They still credit him for containing a potentially volatile racial divide by refusing to detain the many black men who might have fit Smith's description of her hijacker. So it was Susan Smith's claim that drove her to murder her two sons. Despite Davids protests, Susan Smith was spared the death sentence and received a 30-year prison sentence. . 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. Although Russell clearly initiated sexual contact, the case file suggests Susan may have led him on. She will be eligible for parole in 2025 when she is 53 years old. At this point she seemed to get everything she wanted, especially about relationships with men. ", The urge to kill in the name of justice poses infernally tricky issues-and the outcome in the Smith case may be the clearest evidence yet of America's persistent ambivalence about capital punishment. If you want to catch a nice guy like me one day, you have to act like a nice girl. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20358219,00.html But unfortunately, it wont be me. She is currently serving his sentence at Leath Correctional Institution in South Carolina. Tom, meanwhile, was trying to figure out how he would end his relationship with Susan. Before she and David began to date, Susan told a psychiatrist, she had an affair with a store manager who was subsequently transferred out of town. The letter about the reasons for the breakup, written by Tom, was also inside the car. 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. 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. 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. So the trial result is likely to divide Americans just as it divides Union, S.C. "A lot of people in Union are not feeling too good," said Christine Bird, one of many residents who gathered at the courthouse to hear the decision. I will always treasure our friendship and all of the many wonderful memories we have made. 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