In 2019, 25 years after the incident, PEOPLE obtained records. 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. She is currently based at the Leath Correctional Institution near Greenwood, South Carolina. I mean Bev was getting around having sex with his wife and dauther for not days or weeks or months, but for years! Susan can't get over Tom Findlay It was October 25, 1994, Susan was at work. The relationship deteriorated more and more. I know I did when we were messing around earlier this year. a formidably shrewd 46-year-old lawyer who is deeply opposed to the death penalty. . For court records, I would make a request to Union County if you cant find them online. Concerned for his safety, Findlay avoided Susan from March to September. "She was scared of David," Findlay testified. At 11 that night, Smith called Williams and said she wouldn't be at work the next day. Plastic or resin containers are usually reasonably priced and large enough for indeterminate tomatoes, but fabric containers, This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, LETTER FROM SUSAN SMITH TO TOM FINDLAY - HIS LETTER IN RESPONSE. 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. . "This case was an awful case of tragedy from the beginning. 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. At the trial, he took partial responsibility for what Susan did to her children, saying it was his fault for utterly failing Susan. "There is no good outcome in this case," he said. She was also introduced to her boss's son, Tom Findlay. In Northern California, side grafting wasnt very successful either. What got into Susan Smith's mind that night, only the devil knows. Is Every Duggar Ridiculously Messy? She was really obsessed. At the time of the murders, Susan and David were separated and David was working at the Winn-Dixie in Union where he met his now wife, Tiffany. ", To prosecutors, Findlay's emphasis on the children was Smith's motive for murder. Something went very wrong that night. At the age of 16 her stepfather started to molest her. Watched part of youtube video on this horrific death of this young girl. What was only supposed to last a few months, resulted in a promotion to accountant at the store. ``I want you to know that I have never felt with anyone, the way I feel when Im with you. Susanslover Tom Findlaydoes not appear to have an online presence now. 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. "But forgive--that's something I'm going to have to deal with, I guess, further on down the road. In this same period, Susan began to have a relationship with David, also a co-worker. ", This smarmy rejection threw Smith into panic. She worried about her hair and makeup in front of the television cameras and sometimes asked about Tom Findlays whereabouts. ", No other details of the purported affair between Russell and Smith were disclosed, and defense attorney David Bruck underscored the revelation on cross-examination, asking, "She had had a relationship with her own stepfather, Bev Russell?". The fruit typically ranges from 8 to 10 ounces and is smooth with no blemishes or cracks. Follow me on Instagram down below. Many sent her flowers after the trial. You will without a doubt make some lucky man a great wife. ``I know how you feel about our relationship and I respect that. Im just going to live one day at a time. While being treated in the hospital, she admitted that she had already attempted suicide when she was thirteen. . "Dear Susan," Findlay said. Jurors heard Smith's love letters read aloud and watched a videotaped television interview Smith gave shortly after reporting that her two toddlers had been kidnapped by a black carjacker last Oct. 25. Susan Smith chose to do the worst thing a mother can do and covered it up, Pope argued, pushing for the death penalty. The married man broke off their extramarital relationship and her reaction to the breakup was to attempt suicide by taking painkillers. I was not myself, she wrote in a letter to The State in 2015. Even in the face of all the facts, David seemed to have some compassion for Susan. FOR THIS NEWSWEEK POLL, PRINCETON SURVEY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES TELEPHONED 752 ADULTS JULY 27-28. Union lost its anonymity the moment a local secretary named Susan Smith claimed a black man had hijacked her Mazda and driven off with her two little boys. 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. ", But the letters, both friendly in tone, did not reveal what witnesses described as Smith's growing anxiety or her ploys for attention from Findlay, who said she gratefully described his "Dear Susan" missive as "the sweetest letter she'd ever gotten.". Susan, I value our friendship very much. We have been raised in two totally different environments, and therefore, think totally different. The idea that she would kill her . Either way, before you settle down with anyone again, there is something you need to do. David never questioned the paternity of the child despite their separation. Smith's relationship with Findlay, the son of a wealthy mill owner, has provided the prosecution with its motive for the murders of her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex. Keep scrolling below to find out more about Susan Smiths case, trial and to find out where she is today. During his ex-wifes trial, he visited her once in jail to get answers as to why she did what she did but got nothing. Then Susan told him she and David were going through with the divorce, Findlay said, and he resumed their affair. And it brought her David Bruck. 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. Well, people can change. I have never felt so needed. I will always treasure our friendship and all of the many wonderful memories we have made. She reddened slightly and stared back at him. "There will always be something to remind each of us that such a thing happened here," she says. "Susan, I am not mad at you about what happened" at the hot-tub party, Findlay wrote. 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. Both Smith and Findlay worked at Conso. The dead boys' father, David Smith, said he and his family were "disappointed" at the verdict. During this period, Susan had a relationship with a former co-worker, which only made the situation worse. He even admitted to having sexual encounters with Susan as recently as August 1994, less than three months before she killed her sons. ", Findlay went on to write: "Susan, I could really fall for you. Many people believe her motive was because she was dating a man who didnt want children at the time. In the summer of 1988, Susan got a temporary job as a cashier at a local grocery store. After a few months Susan seemed to regret her decision, she filed for divorce once again. David has stated that he will attend all parole hearings to try to keep Susan Smith in prison for the rest of her life. . Most Eligible Bachelor in Union Whatever! . I am shocked how nobody speaks of him yet he casued so much harm by modeling Susan at 15 AND kept on having sex with Susan his dauther after Susan got maried. There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. In Touch Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. She soon became pregnant and they decided to get married. Bruck had it exactly right. The Barnes family of Maple Shade, N.J., sent an arrangement of carnations and daisies. He encouraged Susan to act with more self-respect and referred to an episode where Susan and a friends husband were kissing in a hot tub during a party at Toms fathers house. This resulted in one of the most barbaric crimes that a human being can commit: killing her own children. She went to Lake John D. Long and drove up a ramp, got out of the car, put the car in movement, released the parking brake and watched the car, with her children sleeping in the back seat, sank into the lake. I could never express in words how much you mean to me. I was not in my right mind.. "He that is without sin among you," Bruck said, "let him first cast a stone at her. If you want to catch a nice guy like me one day, you have to act like a nice girl. Chicago Tribune. Findlay received a salary of $214,615 last year, according to company filings with the. . 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. ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT To help restore its pride, Union leaders last year started a weekend festival. 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. 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. But her composure crumbled when the diver who found her two small sons in her car at the bottom of John D. Long Lake took the stand. They parked on the ramp. According to a deposition taken in March in connection with Susan and David's divorce (which became final in May), soon after she began working at Conso Products in 1993, Susan took up with. A team of state psychiatrists certified that Smith was competent to stand trial. The letter is a classic of its caddish kind; Findlay read it aloud in court. Smith was separated from her now-ex-husband, and started dating. Even before Susans confession, investigators already suspected her. Her saga of suicide attempts and molestation and depression and marital deception is embodied in those closest to the case. There was no motive as it was not even a planned event. I mean, one minute you were a kid, and the next minute you were having kids. First were Michael, who was 3, and Alex, 14 months. He was considered twenty years ago to be the most eligible bachelor in Union, as the son of a wealthy mill owner. Besides, I want you to feel good about yourself, and I am afraid that if you sleep with B. 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. She is currently serving his sentence at Leath Correctional Institution in South Carolina. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Susan Smiths childhood was disturbing. In November 1992, the couple resumed their relationship upon the news of Susans new pregnancy. . People.com Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and its effects can be seen all around us. Sheriff Howard Wells served time for public corruption in 2010. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. Was she just a victim of the abuse she suffered, or a cold-hearted murderer of her two young children? The children received love, attention, and were very happy. The following year, prison captain Alfred Rowe also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and was sentenced to five years probation. 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. Around 8 pm, Susan, in desperation, puts her two children in the car. I dont blame him for declining interviews and book deals and disappearing. 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. 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. Then he "slid her bra up and fondled her breast and took her hand and put it on his penis." The whole family drowned, and the friends, too. Sources Barring an appeal, she will be in prison for at least 80 years- condemned not to die, but to live with her ghastly memories. And you know, nice girls dont sleep with married men. It was as if Bev had acquired the right to do whatever he wanted. 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. On the other hand, he sounds quite narcissistic and preachy in his Dear John letter, and he isnt even attractive. 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. "They thought she should get a death sentence." 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. ``Thank you for being there for me through all the rough times. You will without a doubt make some lucky man a great wife. Deeply opposed to the death penalty different environments, and were very happy deal with, I tom findlay susan smith. 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