Susan Smith: ‘I am not the monster society thinks I am’

Almost 21 years ago, the Susan Smith case entrenched the nation’s attention into the small town of Union in Upstate South Carolina for years to come.

On Oct. 25, 1994, Smith told law enforcement officials she was stopped at a red light at an intersection on Main Street in the town of Union, when a black man forced her out of the car at gunpoint and drove off with her two small sons in the back.

After a week-long manhunt for the two boys and the would-be suspect, Smith confessed to letting her car roll into the cold waters of John D. Long Lake with 14-month-old Alex and 3-year-old Michael strapped into the backseat.

Attorneys David Bruck and Judy Clarke, who would later go on to become renowned defense attorneys in many high-profile death penalty cases, defended Smith against then-16th Circuit Solicitor Tommy Pope, who decided to pursue the death penalty against Smith.

Although a jury found her guilty of murder, Smith was not given the death penalty and is spending life in prison.

In January, Smith responded in letter form to a reporter’s inquiry about how she feels about the case 20 years later.

In the letter, Smith said, “I am not the monster society thinks I am. I am far from it.”

“I was a good mother, and I loved my boys ... There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. I was not in my right mind,” Smith said.

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 2:06 PM with the headline "Susan Smith: ‘I am not the monster society thinks I am’."