Susan Smith, the South Carolina mother who drowned her two sons in 1994, is reportedly adhering to prison rules as her first parole date approaches. Smith, now 49, has served over 26 years at Leath Correctional Institution for the murders of 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex.
Her time behind bars has been marked by infractions for drug use, self-mutilation, and two separate incidents of sexual misconduct with prison guards. However, a prison source told People magazine that Smith is now making efforts to stay out of trouble, aware that her parole eligibility in 2024 could be jeopardised by further violations.
Smith initially claimed that her sons were taken by a black man during a carjacking, making televised pleas for their safe return. She later confessed to strapping the children into her car and letting it roll into a lake, after a lover said he did not want children.
She was sentenced to life in prison but has continued to face disciplinary issues, including a 2000 incident where she had sex with guard Houston Cagle, and a 2001 affair with captain Alfred Rowe. She has also been disciplined for possessing marijuana and narcotics.
In a 2015 letter, Smith insisted she is not a monster and claimed she had planned to kill herself, not her sons, on the night of the tragedy. She is eligible for parole in November 2024.
