In addition to Findlay, several other Conso Products employees testified. Susan seemed to be integrating high society, just like her mother Linda. But I wanted to write you this letter because you are the one who is always making the effort for me, and I wanted to return the friendship. He finally understood that it all resulted from Susans desire to rebuild her relationship with Tom Findlay. 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. 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. At 11 that night, Smith called Williams and said she wouldn't be at work the next day. 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 divorce was granted after her arrest. I do. Tom Findlay, Susan Smith's ex-lover, started a new life in Birmingham, Ala. Cary Findlay, who is Tom Findlay's father and Susan Smith's former employer, let his mansion become a. 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. David passed, but Susans results were inconclusive. I care for you, but also care for Susan Brown and I would hate to see anyone get hurt. 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 where Susan Smith worked before becoming a secretary at Conso, the local plant owned by Findlay's father. Since that day twenty years ago, the town of Union, S.C. has also moved on. The psychiatric view was that Smith is a uniquely fragile person who had concealed her emotional conflicts for years. At this point she seemed to get everything she wanted, especially about relationships with men. They eventually settled down in a brick starter home in Union. At this time Susan was having sex with at least three men. By October 1994, Susan had already signed divorce papers with David. All the time, people bring them gifts. . But seeing you kiss another man put things back into perspective. This resulted in one of the most barbaric crimes that a human being can commit: killing her own children. TOM FINDLAY'S TESTIMONY: But after that, Susan was severely punished for exposing what was described by her mother as family conflicts. Appearances seemed to matter more than her daughters well-being. ``It is 11:50 p.m. and I am getting very sleepy. "We agreed the intimate part of our relationship should be postponed till she was divorced," Findlay testified. But at Patrick's shop, he keeps a pocket paperback of "Sins of the Mother," one of many books published on the Smith case. She gained the . I can see this may be a bit difficult for you because you are a bit boy crazy, but as the proverb states `good things come to those who wait. I am not saying you shouldnt go out and have a good time. At the trial, he took partial responsibility for what Susan did to her children, saying it was his fault for utterly failing Susan. I do want us to be friends forever and Ill never let anything happen that would change that. In late October and early November 1994, the town of Union, S.C., ceased to be just another speck on the map. THE BOYFRIEND'S STORY. The boat ramp is gone. 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. There is someone out there for you. These feelings may change one day, but I doubt it. . Bruck had it exactly right. FOR THIS NEWSWEEK POLL, PRINCETON SURVEY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES TELEPHONED 752 ADULTS JULY 27-28. . Susan had a troubled childhood, which was plagued with suicide attempts and traumatizing events. Where is Bev Berverly Russell? 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. I really wanted to be with you and hated that I wasnt. I was a good mother, and I loved my boys. The previous year, Union had the festival two years to the weekend after Smith confessed to the sheriff where he could find her boys. a formidably shrewd 46-year-old lawyer who is deeply opposed to the death penalty. ``Even though you think we have much in common, we are vastly different. ", This smarmy rejection threw Smith into panic. He admits molesting Smith before she turned 16-and then continuing a consensual sexual relationship until just weeks before the murders. Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google or Facebook password. 90 Day Fiance's Hamza's Green Card Status 'Battle' Amid Memphis Divorce, '90 Day Fiance' Star Memphis Smith Alleges Hamza Moknii Was 'Abusive', 90 Day's Hamza Requested Paternity Test for Daughter Amid Memphis Split. David Smith, last anyone heard, had moved to Florida. When a place has been forced to defend itself before the eyes of the world, there is no road map for recovery. 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. With the promotion came a new life for Susan. The car apparently took almost six minutes to disappear-and Michael and Alex, trusting and helpless, can only have died screaming for their mother. Her melodramatic case had placed her squarely in the limelight since Oct. 25, 1994, the day she reported Michael and Alex abducted by a car-jacker. 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. You are a very special person and that is part of why making love to you is so wonderful. Smith, now 26, is in prison in Columbia; she was sentenced in 1995 to life in prison and must serve at least 30 years. 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. Although prosecutors sought the death penalty, Susan was sentenced to life in prison. But the marriage slowly un-raveled. Susan Smith had fallen in love with her supervisor at work, Tom Findlay, a wealthy businessman, and had an affair with him. Bev was influential in the community, had good lawyers who would know how to successfully suppress situations like this. Both Smith and Findlay worked at Conso. Because of her position, she became exposed to affluent people and how the wealthy lived. I could never express in words how much you mean to me. In Touch Weekly is part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Copyright a360media 2023. Last summer, Tim and Angie Phillips came with their three small children and two family friends, one of them a 3-year-old. The steady drip of revelation, each more damning than the last, seemed almost certain to lead to her execution. Take an eye for an eye, prosecutor Tommy Pope urged the jury. . He really got a bad rap out of all of this even though, IMHO, he had no contribution to the situation. This year, I am considering a few varieties for graft, Take Action Now: How You Can Fight Climate Change and Protect Our Environment, The Effects of Climate Change on Our Environment Halleck said that she had sex with Tom Findlay, 28, the textile heir, but that he was not the main focus of her life. THE MARGIN OF ERROR IS +/- 4 PERCENTAGE POINTS. Before the murders, he wrote her a Dear John letter to Susan explaining why they could neverbe together, stating that he did not want children. 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. Smith had stood by his estranged wife during her nine-day charade, and he said he first heard about her confession on television. Is Every Duggar Ridiculously Messy? We have been raised in two totally different environments, and therefore, think totally different. "Susan, I am not mad at you about what happened" at the hot-tub party, Findlay wrote. ``I want you to know that I have never felt with anyone, the way I feel when Im with you. Linda and her children moved from their small modest home to Bevs house, located in a great location in Union. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Russell signed a statement admitting his conduct and the family sought counseling-but Susan and her mother said they didn't want to prosecute. "Every time we think it's all behind us, it comes up again," says June Miller, Union County's longtime clerk of court. Now more than ever, Americans support the death penalty by striking majorities. Caso Criminal 2023 - All rights reserved. Smith was separated from her now-ex-husband, and started dating Tom Findlay, whose father owned the mill she worked at. ", Findlay went on to write: "Susan, I could really fall for you. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). Even before Susans confession, investigators already suspected her. ``This is a difficult letter for me to write because I know how much you think of me. "Everything I had planned on, my life with my kids, was gone. Even in the face of all the facts, David seemed to have some compassion for Susan. 1000s of new photos added daily. But like I have told you before, there are some things about you that aren't suited for me, and yes, I am speaking about your children. Many people believe her motive was because she was dating a man who didnt want children at the time. I told her the intimate part of our relationship would have to end. At the time David was engaged to another woman and broke it off to be with Susan. And city and county leaders, who had to work together to prepare Union for a trial-time media deluge, allied again this year. Im just going to live one day at a time. And special thanks to my fellow true crime buffs in the True Crime Discussions group on FB, especially PAT! At the time, Tom didnt know, but she had sex with David; her stepfather, Bev Russell; and also her boss, who was Toms father. Her mother was never good at solving her emotional problems, and her fathers suicide seemed to create a wound that never healed. 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 was having an affair with her boyfriend, Tom Findlay when such a heinous incident took place. Linda Russell told a social worker that Susan told her "Bev was sitting in the chair watching TV and Susan got in his lap and went to sleep." Suspicious authorities directly confront Smith after a futile nine-day search. The most startling testimony, however, came from Smith's ex-lover, Thomas Findlay, who said aloud in open court what has been whispered in this small Southern town since Susan Smith confessed to murder last fall -- that she had been having a secret affair with her stepfather, Beverly Russell. As he told it, he and Susan became lovers in early 1994. . Susans biological father committed suicide when she wassix. Caldwell said. 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. Tom Findlay, Susan Smith's ex-lover, started a new life in Birmingham, Ala. Cary Findlay, who is Tom Findlay's father and Susan Smith's former employer, let his mansion become a bed-and-breakfast; he now divides his time between England and Union. Her sexual activity in prison was discovered after she contracted a sexually transmitted disease. Crime.About.com If you want to catch a nice guy like me one day, you have to act like a nice girl. Citizens support the death penalty in general, but frequently refuse to apply it when, as in the Smith case, they are confronted with a face, a name and human frailties that, however lurid, bear at least some resemblance to their own. The emerging facts of her chaotic life--her father's suicide, her molestation by her politically prominent stepfather, her failed marriage and the tabloid prurience of her repeated love affairs-seemed to make her a symbol of small-town decadence. The two had always proved to be good parents. Ms. Smith's letter (handwritten, not dated): ``Dear Tom, ``Just a note to say thank you for everything. 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. The outcome flatly contradicts current public opinion. An autopsy of the children proved that the two boys were still alive when they were submerged in the water. . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The prosecution's main weapon was tear-drenched testimony from a vengeful David Smith, who accepted a box of tissues from Judge William Howard. You are a true friend. Findlay, balding early, is nice-looking if not quite a hunk; he allegedly told investigators that he considered himself "a ladies' man" whose mission in life was "servicing these women." Today on #CrimeStories: Why not simply give custody of the boys to their father? He has turned to his part so often the spine is creased. . They were buckled into their car seats when their mother stepped out, lowered the emergency brake and let the car roll down the steep ramp, into the deep water. But unfortunately, it wont be me. Something went wrong and their Suburban rolled into the lake. Was she just a victim of the abuse she suffered, or a cold-hearted murderer of her two young children? The letter is a classic of its caddish kind; Findlay read it aloud in court. He said she slammed her hand down on the table, uttered a profanity and said, " I can't believe you think that!' She is currently serving his sentence at Leath Correctional Institution in South Carolina. From extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and wildfires to the melting of polar ice caps and rising sea levels, it's clear that our planet is in trouble. David has stated that he will attend all parole hearings to try to keep Susan Smith in prison for the rest of her life. Find the editorial stock photo of Findlay Tom Findlay Center Former Boyfriend, and more photos in the Shutterstock collection of editorial photography. I want you to know that I have never felt with anyone, the way I feel when I'm with you. "She said, 'I'm going to give you this; I may not see you again'," Findlay recalled. When it all came apart, she committed an act of savagery that defies understanding. ", June Miller, the clerk of court, says, "It's over and done with and we go on with our lives.". http://www.abcnews4.com/story/26887424/a-look-back-the-susan-smith-case. 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. By September she was dating Tom Findlay again and planning their future together. Her attitude toward the kidnapping of her children was extremely exaggerated. "Susan, I could really fall for you," he continued. It is the story of a woman who, to judge by the evidence ofher life, succumbed to her own molestation as a teenager and grew up to become a promiscuous, sexually exploitive adult. "Giving her the death penalty wouldn't serve justice.". With the boys' at her side, Smith issues a national appeal for help. 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. 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. In January 1994, Susan started dating a co-worker from her job at Conso Products Tom Findlay. 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. "What's wrong?" Bev stayed away from the family for a few weeks, but after a few sessions of family counseling he returned to normal family life. "There is no good outcome in this case," he said. ``Once again, Im sorry for Sat. This development led to Smiths arrest and confession that she was behind her childrens tragic deaths. The letter is dated Oct. 17, 1994. 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. First were Michael, who was 3, and Alex, 14 months. Back in the 1990s, Susan Smith claimed a Black man kidnapped her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander. The divorce apparently led her millworker father, Harry Vaughan, to commit suicide one month later, an event that may have helped create the emotional vacuum that has haunted her ever since. 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