Susan Smith
Susan Leigh Vaughan Smith (born September 26, 1971) is an American who was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her children. Born in Union, South Carolina, and a former student of the University of South Carolina Union, she was convicted on July 22, 1995 of murdering her two sons, 3-year-old Michael Daniel Smith, born October 10, 1991, and 14-month-old Alexander Tyler Smith, born August 5, 1993. The case gained worldwide attention shortly after it developed, due to her claim that a black man carjacked her and kidnapped them. Her defense attorneys, including Judy Clarke presented expert testimony that she suffered from mental health issues that impaired her judgment when she committed the crimes. According to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Smith will be eligible for parole on November 4, 2024, after serving a minimum of thirty years. She is incarcerated at South Carolina's Leath Correctional Institution, near Greenwood.