Creators Syndicate
July 23, 2024
In the summer of 1994, O.J. Simpson engaged in his infamous
low-speed chase with a parade of Los Angeles squad cars loaded with police
officers who wanted to take him into custody for the alleged murder of his wife
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Three months later, on the other side of
the country, Susan Smith put her children in a vehicle, strapped them into
their car seats and started them on a slow roll to the bottom of John D. Long
Lake.
Although Smith's case started after and ended before O.J.'s
case, it certainly didn't live in the shadow of the so-called trial of the
century. When Smith let her car roll into a lake in Union County, South
Carolina, she kicked off a media frenzy that has served as a harbinger of
things to come. A throng of media descended on Union County and didn't leave
until Smith was shipped down state to prison.
Smith was 22 years old when she told investigators that a
Black man had carjacked her while the two boys were still inside the car. The
man let her out and sped off with her children. The man who prosecuted Smith,
Tommy Pope, is now a member of the South Carolina legislature. He recently told
Angenette Levy of the Law and Crime Network that Smith's first assertion that
"a Black man carjacked the vehicle with her sons inside" stirred
international interest in the case.
She wept on national television, pleading for the children's
safe return. "Your mama loves you so much," she said during one news
conference, according to Fox News.
Smith was convicted of murdering her children. She has been
behind bars for nearly three decades and now has a parole hearing scheduled for
Nov. 4.
Her adjustment in prison has been anything but stellar.
According to ABC News, Capt. Alfred R. Rowe Jr., a supervisor at the Women's
Correctional Institution, was terminated and charged with having sex with Smith
while she was incarcerated. A second guard, Lt. Houston Cagle, admitted to also
having sex with Smith.
More recently, Smith has been hard at work courting her
admirers — according to recorded phone calls from Leath Correctional
Institution reviewed by the New York Post, Smith carried on romantic and sexual
conversations with at least 12 men over the past three years.
"It's time for me to get out," Smith told one of
her admirers over the phone earlier this year. "I've done my time. I'm
ready to go."
How will her conduct impact her chances at parole?
Some state parole decision-makers use various assessments
including risk, sex offending, mental health and drug and alcohol. Risk
assessment tools coupled with parole criteria are thought to provide uniformity
to a board's decision-making process.
The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and
Pardon Services has a list of criteria it considers when an individual is
eligible for parole. Although the board has absolute discretion with regard to
parole, there are 16 factors that the board may consider.
Three of those factors weigh heavily against Smith's parole.
First, the seriousness of the offense. It is difficult to think of a more
callous act than drowning your children. Second, the inmates conduct while in
prison. Sex with guards and phone sex with potential financial supporters is
not a good look for someone who wants the board's mercy. Finally, a fact that
will play a significant role in the board's decision is the position of the
judge, prosecutor and victim's family with regard to parole. Pope, Smith's
prosecutor, has already said that he believes in truth in sentencing, "life
should mean life."
Parole in South Carolina is a privilege, not a right. Smith
may be ready to go, but she is likely to remain behind bars for the foreseeable
future.
Matthew T. Mangino is of counsel with Luxenberg, Garbett,
Kelly & George P.C. His book "The Executioner's Toll, 2010" was
released by McFarland Publishing. You can reach him at www.mattmangino.com and
follow him on Twitter @MatthewTMangino.
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