. But unfortunately, it won't be me. Prosecutor Tommy Pope went into private practice in 2006 and is now a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. The following year, prison captain. Then she drove out to John D. Long Lake and let her maroon Mazda Protege roll into the reddish-brown water. The Barnes family of Maple Shade, N.J., sent an arrangement of carnations and daisies. Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for Timothy McVeigh if he is convicted of the bombing in Oklahoma City? She worried about her hair and makeup in front of the television cameras and sometimes asked about Tom Findlays whereabouts. ``Thank you for being there for me through all the rough times. Either way, before you settle down with anyone again, there is something you need to do. ``Friends Forever, (two heart-shaped designs). According to Findlay, Smith claimed: * that her husband was tapping her phone and having her followed; * that she had had an affair with Findlay's father; * that she made up the story of the affair with the elder Findlay to test his son's feelings for her; * that she was considering having an affair with the husband of a good friend; * that she had had an affair with Beverly Russell and David Smith was going to publicize it. Smith's supervisor, Sandra Williams, testified about the day Michael and Alex Smith disappeared. At the time, Tom didnt know, but she had sex with David; her stepfather, Bev Russell; and also her boss, who was Toms father. In 1994, Susan sued for divorce, alleging infidelity, and David later counter-sued, also alleging infidelity. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Susan Smiths childhood was disturbing. Nov 01, 2008 #1 28 year old Tom Findlay had no idea when he began a relationship with Susan Smith, who worked within his father's company, that his name would be irrevocably linked with a tragedy that horrified the state, the nation, and many around the world. Susan had been a sad and introspective child. 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. Carbon on Estamino was late to mature. At 11 that night, Smith called Williams and said she wouldn't be at work the next day. Whether you are using plastic or fabric containers, Earthboxes, or even old buttercream buckets, there are a few important things to consider before planting. Since she said there were no other cars on the road, there was no reason for her to see the red light. 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. ", Paul Patrick, a florist, says, "It was a real tragedy but I don't think anybody's still dwelling on it three years later. He admits molesting Smith before she turned 16-and then continuing a consensual sexual relationship until just weeks before the murders. I want you to know that I have never felt with anyone, the way I feel when I'm with you. When Susan Smith's ex-boyfriend Tom Findlay climbed onto the witness stand Wednesday afternoon, he glanced quickly at her and smiled kindly. These feelings may change one day, but I doubt it. Susan, because you got pregnant and married at such an early age, you missed out on much of your youth. Looking forward to reading more true crime articles by you. The married man broke off their extramarital relationship and her reaction to the breakup was to attempt suicide by taking painkillers. In June 1993 he started dating a co-worker. Smith's lawyer, David Bruck, answered with Christ's defense of the adulterous wife in the Gospel according to John. Besides, I want you to feel good about yourself, and I am afraid that if you sleep with B. ``For my first two years in Union, I dated very little. 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. 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. Findlay senior owns a company called Conso Inc., which makes interior-decorating products; he is among the wealthiest Union County residents. 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. According to previously secret records from a state family court, Russell began molesting Susan when she was 15. They were buckled into their car seats when their mother stepped out, lowered the emergency brake and let the car roll down the steep ramp, into the deep water. She was two months pregnant--the child was David's-when they were married on March 15, 1991. They eventually settled down in a brick starter home in Union. Many sent her flowers after the trial. See the 'Counting On' Kids' Houses, Look How Much the Little Couple's Kids Will and Zoey Have Grown Up, Every Look From the Kardashian-Jenner Family at the 2021 Met Gala, Gabby Petito's Texts Show 'More and More Tension' With Brian Laundrie, 'Welcome to Plathville' Kim Plath's DUI Case Closed: Fine, More Details, Sister Wives Kody, Robyn Were With a Mystery Blonde: Identity Revealed, Megan Fox and MGK's Relationship Is 'Toxic': 'There Is Concern for Her', Farrah Abraham Slams Mom-Shamers Over Daughter Sophias Piercings, Jon Gosselin Is 'Open' With Kids Collin, Hannah About Their Dating Lives. This happened when David and Susan's marriage was in jeopardy and had already filed for divorce. Despite Davids protests, Susan Smith was spared the death sentence and received a 30-year prison sentence. There is someone out there for you. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20358219,00.html "Every time we think it's all behind us, it comes up again," says June Miller, Union County's longtime clerk of court. 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. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and its effects can be seen all around us. Russell published a book in 2000 titled My Daughter Susan Smith where she detailed her daughters rocky childhood and background in an attempt to understand and explain why she did what she did. 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, The outcome flatly contradicts current public opinion. I really wanted to be with you and hated that I wasnt. 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. UPDATE! HLNTV He noted that as good as Smiths children may be, the fact was he did not want any children. ", Findlay went on to write: "Susan, I could really fall for you. I am compiling information about sexual misconduct in the US correctional system for a research paper and would like to include the facts of that case, if those facts are available for review. Before the murders, he wrote her a Dear John letter to Susan explaining why they could neverbe together, stating that he did not want children. Williams asked again. Sheriff Howard Wells served time for public corruption in 2010. "Everything I had planned on, my life with my kids, was gone. 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. 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. So it was Susan Smith's claim that drove her to murder her two sons. I was not in my right mind.. ``It is 11:50 p.m. and I am getting very sleepy. In 2019, 25 years after the incident, PEOPLE obtained records. I want you to know that I will always love and care for you for the rest of my life. In a day filled with dramatic testimony, Smith sat blank-faced as witnesses took the stand and painted a conflicting portrait of the 23-year-old defendant as a vixenish adulteress, a lovesick secretary, an abused child, a frightened wife, a skillful liar and a doting mother. Despite the family turmoil, the child was long-awaited and loved. (The divorce was granted after her arrest. On October 25, 1994, a then 23-year-old married mother of two sons, Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina, rolledher car into John D. Long Lake with herboys strapped inside, drowningthem both. 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. The first step is to understand the causes of climate change and how we can reduce our impact on the environment. The judge took into consideration the abuse suffered by the defendant. Tom Findlay, who was 27 at the time of the boys' deaths and who had an affair with her while she was separated from her husband, said in . 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. 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!). 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. . "He that is without sin among you," Bruck said, "let him first cast a stone at her. However, although she was sentenced to life in prison, she is up for parole in 2024. Employees of Winn-Dixie, the grocery store where David Smith worked, paid for it as a lasting tribute. Even before Susans confession, investigators already suspected her. But just dont get seriously involved with anyone until you have done the things in life that you want to do, first. Many people believe her motive was because she was dating a man who didnt want children at the time. There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. you are intelligent, beautiful, sensitive, and possess many other wonderful qualities that I and many other men appreciate. , whose father owned the mill she worked at. It was October 25, 1994, Susan was at work. Chicago Tribune. The fact is, I just don't want children. . I was not myself, she wrote in a letter to The State in 2015. Chicago Tribune I remembered how I hurt Laura, and I wont let that happen again; and therefore, I cant let myself get close to you. Susan and Tom began dating in January 1994, however, Susan and David got back together in the spring. But I am very thankful that there are people like you who are not so selfish as I am, and dont mind bearing the responsibility of children. In Touch Weekly is part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Copyright a360media 2023. The letter is a classic of its caddish kind; Findlay read it aloud in court. ``But our differences go far beyond the children issue. That poor. Everyone is held accountable for their actions, and I would hate for people to perceive you as an unreputable person. This is "a difficult letter to write because I know how much you think of me . "This case was an awful case of tragedy from the beginning. A.L. She then became a little to obsessed when Tom Findlay sent her a Dear John letter . CAPTION: Thomas Findlay, right, Susan Smith's former boyfriend, leaves courthouse. Susan told her mother and Social Services what had happened. And city and county leaders, who had to work together to prepare Union for a trial-time media deluge, allied again this year. On the outside everything looked good, but Susan carried with her a big family secret. You are the best friend anyone could ever have. Other key figures in the case have gone on to both fame and failure. A nine-man, three-woman jury unanimously votes for life in prison. Susanslover Tom Findlaydoes not appear to have an online presence now. Even in the face of all the facts, David seemed to have some compassion for Susan. Her mother was never good at solving her emotional problems, and her fathers suicide seemed to create a wound that never healed. David felt left out. "I didn't know what to do," he said. Smith had stood by his estranged wife during her nine-day charade, and he said he first heard about her confession on television. Smith had told him, 'i will love you for the rest of my life.'. ", Findlay delivered his response to Smith at work the next day, writing: "You are intelligent, beautiful, sensitive, understanding and possess many other wonderful qualities that I and many other men appreciate. Her experience as an accountant earned her a position at Conso Products. Susan Smith's most intense extramarital affair was with a newfound employee at Conso Products in 1993. Findlay received a salary of $214,615 last year, according to company filings with the. Last summer, Tim and Angie Phillips came with their three small children and two family friends, one of them a 3-year-old. Tom and Susan quickly began a casual relationship in January 1994, but in the spring David became part of her life again, and the two resumed their marriage. 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. So, where are all of the key players now, including the woman at the center of it all? He was considered twenty years ago to be the most eligible bachelor in Union, as the son of a wealthy mill owner. Susan became pregnant and had an abortion. Keep scrolling below to find out more about Susan Smiths case, trial and to find out where she is today. Later that evening, she called her friend who she knew was having dinner with Tom and friends. Thank you for your article. And sometimes when her 5-year-old grandson says his prayers, he still says God bless Michael and Alex. . These evil perverts should be castrated (preferably with a blunt knife). 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. UNION, S.C., July 25 -- A sobbing Susan Smith apologized Tuesday to her ex-husband for killing their children after he twice broke down in tears while testifying in the sentencing phase of her. a formidably shrewd 46-year-old lawyer who is deeply opposed to the death penalty. Her ex, Tom Findlay, had broken up with her after having stated that he was not interested in having or raising children. Despite the comings and goings of their marriage, they were always present in the upbringing and education of their children. The boat ramp is gone. Susan Smith chose to do the worst thing a mother can do and covered it up, Pope argued, pushing for the death penalty. Tom didnt even let Susan start talking. Yet nobody talks about his guy or where he is or what other girls he has been doing. She keeps business cards of reporters she may never see again. She was really obsessed. Maybe he wasnt ready for children at the time at such a young age. In the spring, they'll plant boxwoods, build a split-rail fence and lay a gravel walkway. A letter. 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. In January 1994, Susan started dating a co-worker from her job at Conso Products Tom Findlay. Well, people can change. They were screaming, weren't they, and that's why you killed them?" You are a very special person and that is part of why making love to you is so wonderful. Source: http://www.thomasandrewart.com/KathyKemparticle.html. Some are proud to belong to a community that refused to wither in the spotlight. At this point she seemed to get everything she wanted, especially about relationships with men. . The flowers came with thank-you notes. We won't post to any of your accounts without asking first. He said she slammed her hand down on the table, uttered a profanity and said, " I can't believe you think that!' The idea that she would kill her . With the promotion came a new life for Susan. During her adolescence Susan became popular at school, she was a very attractive young woman and seemed to take leading positions in school activities. I could never express in words how much you mean to me. Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google or Facebook password. THE NEWSWEEK POLL (c) 1995 BY NEWSWEEK, INC. By October 1994, Susan had already signed divorce papers with David. Was she just a victim of the abuse she suffered, or a cold-hearted murderer of her two young children? ``I want you to know that I have never felt with anyone, the way I feel when Im with you. But the marriage slowly un-raveled. The relationship deteriorated more and more. This resulted in one of the most barbaric crimes that a human being can commit: killing her own children. 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