Susan Smith, the woman who drowned her young sons in 1994, is approaching her first shot at parole. Despite her crimes, she has continued to seek romantic relationships from behind bars, raising concerns about her unyielding need for external validation and her potential dangerousness if released.
Susan Smith, now 51, is scheduled for her first parole hearing on November 4th, 2024, thirty years after confessing to drowning her 3-year-old, Michael Daniel, and 14-month-old, Alexander Tyler, in a South Carolina lake. Prosecutors have argued that Smith was driven to kill her boys by her ex-boyfriend and prospective affair partner, Tom Findlay, who had expressed concerns about her sons being an obstacle to their relationship.
Susan Smith: A Mother's Deadly Dependency
In the years since her incarceration, Smith has been a prolific correspondent, courting nearly a dozen suitors through monitored jailhouse messages and telephone calls. Many of these men have offered her financial security should she be released from prison, and conversations with many have taken breathy, sensual turns.
Dr. Katherine Kuhlman, a clinical and police psychologist, believes that Smith's behavior is symptomatic of Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD), a condition characterized by an excessive need for others to take responsibility for one's life. People with DPD have difficulty disagreeing with others due to their fear of losing support or approval.
Susan Smith: A Mother's Deadly Dependency
Kuhlman suggests that Smith's relationships are disposable to her, as she seeks to satisfy her own needs without regard for the well-being of others. "She always wanted something from me," said one man who corresponded with Smith for 18 months. "We're not men to her; we're marks. She's always figuring out what she can get."
Kuhlman notes that there is limited treatment for personality disorders, especially in a prison setting. She doubts that Smith's recent romantic overtures are genuine attempts at rehabilitation and suggests that they may be part of a manipulative strategy to gain sympathy and support.
Susan Smith: A Mother's Deadly Dependency
Despite Smith's hopes for release, criminal defense attorney Philip Holloway believes that her parole is unlikely due to the horrific nature of her crime and her record of prison misconduct. He cites her drug use and self-harm as evidence of her inability to conform to societal norms and expectations.
Holloway also believes that Smith's jail-time romances should not factor into the parole board's decision, but that statements from surviving relatives of her slain children could sway the board against her. David Smith, the father of the murdered children, intends to oppose her release, stating that she still thinks of her boys every day and wants Susan to spend the rest of her life in prison.
Susan Smith: A Mother's Deadly Dependency
The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services has notified victims' families about the upcoming hearing, and Smith has confirmed her intention to show up. As the parole hearing approaches, the question remains whether Susan Smith's unyielding need for external validation and the psychological complexities of her condition will ultimately determine her fate.
