Davids parents were grieving the recent loss of another son who died of Crohns disease just 11 days before Susan and Davids wedding. 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. ", To prosecutors, Findlay's emphasis on the children was Smith's motive for murder. And special thanks to my fellow true crime buffs in the True Crime Discussions group on FB, especially PAT! Smith ended her marriage to the poor boy who loved her and gambled on a rich boy who didn't. 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. And I want you to know that I am flattered that you have such a high opinion of me. People.com At this time Susan was having sex with at least three men. Back in the 1990s, Susan Smith claimed a Black man kidnapped her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander. He also reiterated that at no point, he suggested that her children were the only obstacle in any potential relationship with her., Something went very wrong that night. Susan Smith had fallen in love with her supervisor at work, Tom Findlay, a wealthy businessman, and had an affair with him. The mom of two made headlines at the time of the news due to her shocking motive and she has since been behaving herself behind bars, which means she could soon be a free woman. ", June Miller, the clerk of court, says, "It's over and done with and we go on with our lives.". "Fussy or singing, fussy or happy, which one is it? 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. 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. He hired Smith as an assistant to his executive assistant in 1994, and she got to know his son while working at the Conso plant. Sheriff Howard Wells served time for public corruption in 2010. The following year, prison captain. I dont blame him for declining interviews and book deals and disappearing. Looking forward to reading more true crime articles by you. When she went on to say she had been riding around in the car singing with her sons, Caldwell said he interrupted and reminded her she earlier had described the boys as fussy that day. You will, without a doubt, make some lucky man a great wife. . For nine days, she pleaded for the safe return of her babies while making appearances on television, only to have the true story later be revealed. Smith claims that she wanted to be serious with Findlay, but he said he didn't want 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. . I will always treasure our friendship and all of the many wonderful memories we have made. "What's wrong?" Brown (reportedly friend Benjy Brown), of course you have to make your own decisions in life, but remember you have to live with the consequences also. But then Laura came along. She is currently serving his sentence at Leath Correctional Institution in South Carolina. Union - isn't that where that woman drowned her babies? An autopsy of the children proved that the two boys were still alive when they were submerged in the water. Today on #CrimeStories: Now more than ever, Americans support the death penalty by striking majorities. The card reads, "Never forgotten.". Yet nobody talks about his guy or where he is or what other girls he has been doing. Smith, now 26, is in prison in Columbia; she was sentenced in 1995 to life in prison and must serve at least 30 years. During this period, Susan had a relationship with a former co-worker, which only made the situation worse. "Really, I think this is an example of how little this situation is on the minds of people who live here. "But seeing you kiss another man put things back into perspective . He noted that as good as Smiths children may be, the fact was he did not want any children. 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. But the marriage slowly un-raveled. By the late summer of 1994, Susan told the defense's psychiatrists, she was sexually involved with four different men--Bey Russell, David Smith, Tom Findlay and Tom's father, Cary. "You don't have all the guilt in this tragedy," he read, sobbing. She was really obsessed. 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. "And she said, Everything.' Shortly after joining the company she was promoted to the position of executive secretary to Consos president and CEO, Carey Findlay. you are intelligent, beautiful, sensitive, and possess many other wonderful qualities that I and many other men appreciate. However, although she was sentenced to life in prison, she is up for parole in 2024. In Northern California, side grafting wasnt very successful either. The familiar landmarks remain: the courthouse on Main Street, where Smith stood trial for her life; her small brick house on Toney Road (a nurse's aide now rents it from Smith's mother); Conso Products, the decorative-trim factory where Smith worked as a secretary. "But forgive--that's something I'm going to have to deal with, I guess, further on down the road. I do. Final testimony for the prosecution includes a tearful David Smith saying, 'All my hopes and dreams, everything that I had planned for the rest of my life-it ended that day. The letter gave reasons justifying the end of the relationship. 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. He admits molesting Smith before she turned 16-and then continuing a consensual sexual relationship until just weeks before the murders. The prosecution's main weapon was tear-drenched testimony from a vengeful David Smith, who accepted a box of tissues from Judge William Howard. 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!). She keeps business cards of reporters she may never see again. "We'll never really be the same. 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. Nothing--not Smith's sad history or blighted hopes, nor any kind of victim chic-can explain that act away. Susan asked Sheriff Wells to pray with her, and then she began to cry and say how ashamed she felt for what she had done. I was a good mother, and I loved my boys. Concerned for his safety, Findlay avoided Susan from March to September. As a $17,000-a-year secretary to Cary Findlay, Smith worked for one of Union's wealthiest people. On Oct. 17, according to Findlay, Smith gave him a greeting card and a handwritten letter accepting their breakup with equanimity and pledging her eternal friendship, saying, "I will always love and care for you the rest of my life. We are just two totally different people, and eventually, those differences would cause us to break up. On the outside everything looked good, but Susan carried with her a big family secret. "A passing love affair," Halleck called it. "He was threatening to her. What was only supposed to last a few months, resulted in a promotion to accountant at the store. They planned historic-home tours, an art exhibit, a barbecue cookoff, a log-rolling contest and live bands. I was not in my right mind., In July 1995, Smith was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, which is around the corner in November 2024. I have never felt so needed. Some are proud to belong to a community that refused to wither in the spotlight. The town of 10,000 started the event following the Susan Smith murder trial to showcase its softer side," the Journal wrote. Smith was separated from her now-ex-husband, and started dating Tom Findlay, whose father owned the mill she worked at. The following year, prison captain Alfred Rowe also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and was sentenced to five years probation. I remembered how I hurt Laura, and I wont let that happen again; and therefore, I cant let myself get close to you. Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com. I could never express in words how much you mean to me. "We all felt like Susan was a really disturbed person," said juror Deborah Benvenuti. A.L. Tom Findlay's letter, as gentle as it tried to be, had brought Susan Smith in direct and brutal contact with her own lies, deceit, narcissism, and lust. She wept and rocked in her seat as he described seeing "a small hand" pressed against the glass of the car window. ``I know how you feel about our relationship and I respect that. 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. Halleck said that she had sex with Tom Findlay, 28, the textile heir, but that he was not the main focus of her life. Pastors who together counseled the inconsolable community became close friends. I was not myself, she wrote in a letter to The State in 2015. It takes 60 days for Red Rocket tomatoes to reach maturit, Rootstock Selection for Short Season Tomatoes: What to Consider and Recommended Varieties, Rootstock selection is an important part of successful tomato production, especially in short seasons. ``I want you to know that I have never felt with anyone, the way I feel when Im with you. Although Russell clearly initiated sexual contact, the case file suggests Susan may have led him on. "I asked her what's wrong," Williams said. "Giving her the death penalty wouldn't serve justice.". They came because it was the third anniversary of the brothers' deaths. They were from Union County, so the community not only grieved again, but wondered what it had done to deserve so much pain. "We agreed the intimate part of our relationship should be postponed till she was divorced," Findlay testified. Susan had a troubled childhood, which was plagued with suicide attempts and traumatizing events. TIME Caso Criminal 2023 - All rights reserved. . 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. Watched part of youtube video on this horrific death of this young girl. 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. "This case was an awful case of tragedy from the beginning. Susan Smith murdered her young sons in 1994. The letter is dated Oct. 17, 1994. ``Friends Forever, (two heart-shaped designs). Whether Smith is granted parole remains to be seen as she has not exactly been a model prisoner afterbeing found guilty of sexual misconduct in 2000with two prison guards. The third anniversary of the children was Smith 's motive for murder FB, especially PAT parents grieving! 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