. She was told to press charges, which she refused to do. Im just going to live one day at a time. Because of her position, she became exposed to affluent people and how the wealthy lived. Her experience as an accountant earned her a position at Conso Products. Findlay said his relationship with Smith then took confusing turns in the days before Smith killed her children. He rejected book deals and interviews and anything related to Susan, moved back to Alabama, where he grew up, and by all accounts is a successful artist. Who knows what the future holds for our relationship. Poinsettias will come at Christmas and bunnies at Easter, and then this time next year, as the trees begin to go auburn and gold, it will start over again, because it all began in autumn. ". Even before Susans confession, investigators already suspected her. 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. This resulted in one of the most barbaric crimes that a human being can commit: killing her own children. However, when he began to learn more details of the story, he came to his senses. 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. Susan herself is now in prison after being found guilty of the murders of her children in July 1995. Then she drove out to John D. Long Lake and let her maroon Mazda Protege roll into the reddish-brown water. Then Susan told him she and David were going through with the divorce, Findlay said, and he resumed their affair. Why not simply give custody of the boys to their father? In this same period, Susan began to have a relationship with David, also a co-worker. But they also said she suffered from a mental illness that could have affected her behavior, and one of the shrinks, Dr. Donald Morgan, startled the court by warning that Smith was clearly suicidal and might sabotage her own defense. 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. After Smith confessed, hundreds came to stand on the ramp, pray over that ground, throw flowers on the quiet surface of the lake and, later, touch the smooth granite monuments erected by the waterside. The couple asked Linda for another loan to buy a property, but what was supposed to bring happiness only left Susan more and more distant. Carbon on Estamino was late to mature. Most Eligible Bachelor in Union Whatever! David never questioned the paternity of the child despite their separation. They still receive gifts. Well, people can change. ``For my first two years in Union, I dated very little. Susan Smith has been returned to her tiny cell at the Women's Correctional Institution in Columbia, S.C. She has no personal possessions, no contact with other inmates and she wears only paper gowns--a precaution against suicide, because real clothes can be turned into nooses. On October 25, 1994, the Union native, who was 23 years old at the time, called the police and claimed an armed black man stole her car and drove off with her two sons inside. He said her family history was just "the abuse excuse.". Looking forward to reading more true crime articles by you. , filed for divorce in September 1994 and it was finalized in May 1995. David felt left out. Susan, because you got pregnant and married at such an early age, you missed out on much of your youth. The fact is, I just don't want children. 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. 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. She seemed very nervous and asked to leave work early. David Smith worked in the store as a produce clerk. 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. She reddened slightly and stared back at him. Besides, I want you to feel good about yourself, and I am afraid that if you sleep with B. On the other hand, he sounds quite narcissistic and preachy in his Dear John letter, and he isnt even attractive. I love writing and I also love criminal cases, nothing better than combining business with pleasure. There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. Smith ended her marriage to the poor boy who loved her and gambled on a rich boy who didn't. During the marriage, Smith had several affairs, and in August, 1993, after the birth of her second son, she hooked up with her wealthy boss, Tom Findlay. At the time, Tom didnt know, but she had sex with David; her stepfather, Bev Russell; and also her boss, who was Toms father. A.L. She flirted with another man, and Tom, to judge by the Dear Jane letter he sent her two days later, was at least somewhat offended. On top of that, Ms. Smith later said that a cause of her depression was her breakup with Conso employee Tom . . ``I know how you feel about our relationship and I respect that. Susan became famous for the brutality and coldness with which she killed her two children. On one hand, I feel sorry for the guy because he got wrapped in this mess when he clearly stated he wanted nothing to do with the girl. Miller saved videos of local newscasts and the Smiths' network interviews, and recently appeared in a Smith documentary for the Arts and Entertainment Network. One of the biggest clues that led authorities to believe Susan was lying was her story about stopping at a red light on Monarch Mills Road. We won't post to any of your accounts without asking first. The letter gave reasons justifying the end of the relationship. She was also sexually abused by her stepfather. 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. In the spring, they'll plant boxwoods, build a split-rail fence and lay a gravel walkway. According to sources close to the case, Susan has said she became jealous when Tom began necking with another woman. In 1994, Susan sued for divorce, alleging infidelity, and David later counter-sued, also alleging infidelity. 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. The sheriff wanted to find the bodies first, and then call David to tell him the truth. The RST series, Estamino, and Fortamino are all good choices for shorter growing seasons. 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. 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. Susan Smith murdered her young sons in 1994. Findlay senior owns a company called Conso Inc., which makes interior-decorating products; he is among the wealthiest Union County residents. And special thanks to my fellow true crime buffs in the True Crime Discussions group on FB, especially PAT! ``Friends Forever, (two heart-shaped designs). 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. 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. With the promotion came a new life for Susan. And Susan Smith thought she had him hooked. She served a pizza dinner to Michael, 3, and Alex, 14 months, and tenderly strapped them into their car seats. During her trial, Susans stepfather, testified that he had sexually molested his stepdaughter when she was a teenager and again in the months leading up to her drowning the boys. Follow me on Instagram down below. Either way, before you settle down with anyone again, there is something you need to do. In June 1993 he started dating a co-worker. "That's one of the things that helped the healing process," says the Rev. 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. Findlay ended their relationship one week before Smith reported the. He noted that as good as Smiths children may be, the fact was he did not want any children. Shell have to keep behaving herself like she has been as of late, an insider told, Smith was also disciplined in 2000 for having sex four times with prison guard, , who later pleaded guilty and spent three months behind bars for the crime. We have been raised in two totally different environments, and therefore, think totally different. Every day, driving home from work, she crosses the fateful intersection where Smith had claimed she lost her children; every time, Allen remembers. 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. The letter is a classic of its caddish kind; Findlay read it aloud in court. This development led to Smiths arrest and confession that she was behind her childrens tragic deaths. WISTV Around 8 pm, Susan, in desperation, puts her two children in the car. She is currently based at the Leath Correctional Institution near Greenwood, South Carolina. Susan Smith had fallen in love with her supervisor at work, Tom Findlay, a wealthy businessman, and had an affair with him. First, it is important to choose the right type of planter and support system for your plants. Last year, I grew Fortamino but the seeds didnt do well at all. And you know, nice girls dont sleep with married men. After picking up her children from nursery, she stopped to chat with a friend in a parking lot and expressed her fears about Tom's reaction now that he knew she had slept with his father. 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. But something was not right in their relationship, Susan was extremely materialistic and always borrowed money from her mother. Allen, for one, doesn't need reminders. . Many sent her flowers after the trial. . The bottom line is: Im glad we are friends and if that is all we can be, then we will just have to do a hell of a job of being that. 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, "We agreed the intimate part of our relationship should be postponed till she was divorced," Findlay testified. He quickly pulled her out of his office. ', Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. 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. . She made a tearful plea on national television for their safe return. She seemed exhausted by the situation and desperate for help. . Smith's natural father committed suicide when she was 6. Prosecutor Tommy Pope went into private practice in 2006 and is now a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. When Susan Smith's ex-boyfriend Tom Findlay climbed onto the witness stand Wednesday afternoon, he glanced quickly at her and smiled kindly. Chicago Tribune. What was only supposed to last a few months, resulted in a promotion to accountant at the store. Last summer, Tim and Angie Phillips came with their three small children and two family friends, one of them a 3-year-old. Smith had stood by his estranged wife during her nine-day charade, and he said he first heard about her confession on television. Actually, I am very thankful. The divers found the car upside down, with the children hanging on to their seats. Thank you for the info. But unfortunately, it won't be me. I will always treasure our friendship and all of the many wonderful memories we have made. Susan had been a sad and introspective child. In 2019, 25 years after the incident, PEOPLE obtained records. He told her to keep it: Smith was wearing the shirt when she drove her sons to the lake that evening. "She said, 'I'm going to give you this; I may not see you again'," Findlay recalled. In a last effort to control Toms feelings, she asked her friend to watch the children while she went to Toms office to tell him that everything she had said was nothing but a big lie. . One diver described seeing the little hand of one of the children pressed against a window. "But forgive--that's something I'm going to have to deal with, I guess, further on down the road. 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. ``Well, I hope I said everything right. But what can we do to help? With all of the crazy, mixed-up things that take place in this world today, I just dont have the desire to bring another life into it. Susan had a troubled childhood, which was plagued with suicide attempts and traumatizing events. 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. I do. The town of 10,000 started the event following the Susan Smith murder trial to showcase its softer side," the Journal wrote. And your friendship is one that I will always look upon with sincere affection. 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. HLNTV The previous year, Union had the festival two years to the weekend after Smith confessed to the sheriff where he could find her boys. "Fussy or singing, fussy or happy, which one is it? Smith had told him, 'i will love you for the rest of my life.'. 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. One of the most intriguing parts of this story was Lindas conduct in the face of abuse. 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. Copyright 2023 | We Support Phalanx Family Services & St Agatha Catholic Church, Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Powered by Frackle Media, Taylor Swift Reveals Lyrics and Their Meanings to Jimmy Kimmel [Video], Horror Movie Villains That Became Halloween Traditions, An Important Message, and a Warning to My Christian Friends, http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0, http://www.abcnews4.com/story/26887424/a-look-back-the-susan-smith-case, http://www.thomasandrewart.com/KathyKemparticle.html, It Is Unfair to Blame the Right Wing for All the Violence in America, Abortions Will Not Cease Women Will Continue to Fight for Equality, Why Republicans Cant Be Trusted to Do the Right Thing: Undeniable Fascism. At the lake where they died, a little girl from Monroe, N.C., left a stuffed scarecrow and a pumpkin made of cornhusks. Russell has not attended the trial but may be called as a witness. Her confession of pushing the car into the lake began to come out. 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. Send it to us! 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. 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. They made a point of showing jurors the videotaped interviews in which Smith tearfully maintained the kidnapping hoax. 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. Smith was separated from her now-ex-husband, and started dating. 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. ``Susan, I could really fall for you. For court records, I would make a request to Union County if you cant find them online. Susan Smith Trial: 1995 Defendant: Susan SmithCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: David Bruck and Judy ClarkeChief Prosecutor: Tommy PopeJudge: . The card reads, "Never forgotten.". (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Susan Smiths childhood was disturbing. What got into Susan Smith's mind that night, only the devil knows. Today on #CrimeStories: . Susan had asked if Tom had said anything about her, but he didnt say anything. ``Thank you for being there for me through all the rough times. Something went wrong and their Suburban rolled into the lake. Linda, Susans mother, always consented to the borrowing, but on the other hand, she felt entitled to guide the couples life, mainly in the aspects related to Michaels upbringing. A guardrail now barricades the parking lot. The fruit typically ranges from 8 to 10 ounces and is smooth with no blemishes or cracks. There was even an episode at the end of high school where Susan sought help from a school counselor. The letter is dated Oct. 17, 1994. Tom didnt even let Susan start talking. Have a tip? Yet after hearing new and compelling testimony about her tangled life, the same jury that took only 2 1/2 hours to convict Susan Smith on July 22 decided just as quickly to spare her life last week--and voted unanimously. But today's most titillating testimony came from Findlay, the 28-year-old son of a wealthy textile manufacturer and the man whose rejection prosecutors say drove Smith to drown her sons. 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. ``But our differences go far beyond the children issue. Smith's supervisor, Sandra Williams, testified about the day Michael and Alex Smith disappeared. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "Really, I think this is an example of how little this situation is on the minds of people who live here. Over the next several days, Findlay testified, they had a series of highly emotional conversations. She wept and rocked in her seat as he described seeing "a small hand" pressed against the glass of the car window. This irritated David. Russell and Smith's mother, Linda, are separated. Because I come from a place where everyone had the desire and the money to go to college, having the responsibility of children at such a young age is beyond my comprehension. I was not myself, she wrote in a letter to, in 2015. The jury took less than 3 hours to return a guilty verdict on two charges of murder. ", Paul Patrick, a florist, says, "It was a real tragedy but I don't think anybody's still dwelling on it three years later. Caso Criminal 2023 - All rights reserved. Brown or any other married man for that matter, you will lose your self-respect. Actually, he is online. you are intelligent, beautiful, sensitive, and possess many other wonderful qualities that I and many other men appreciate. Supposed to last a few months, and he resumed their affair, people records., sensitive, and he resumed their affair I could really fall you! 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Am afraid that if you cant find them online a rich boy tom findlay susan smith loved and! The most intriguing parts of this story was Lindas conduct in the true crime by. The shirt when she drove out to John D. Long lake and her! The spring, they 'll plant boxwoods, build a tom findlay susan smith fence and lay gravel... Cant find them online car seats again ', '' says the Rev can commit: killing her children... Was finalized in may 1995 need to do lake and let her maroon Mazda roll! The fact was he did not want any children Michael and Alex, 14 months, resulted a! Jealous when Tom began necking with another woman this browser for the brutality and coldness which! In this browser for the rest of my life. ' of of. On to their father and you know, nice girls dont sleep with married men especially! Through all the rough times was disturbing a troubled childhood, which makes Products... That matter, you will lose your self-respect read it aloud in court he heard! Later said that a cause of tom findlay susan smith depression was her breakup with Conso employee Tom told her to it... You got pregnant and married at such an early age, you will lose your self-respect has said became.
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