Editor’s note: This article mentions suicide and domestic violence. People seeking help or experiencing a crisis can dial 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or 1-800-799-7233 to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
(NewsNation) — A South Carolina parole board denied Susan Smith’s release Wednesday, nearly 30 years after she received a life sentence for murdering her 3-year-old and infant sons.
Smith’s voice shook as she spoke to board members over a video call and expressed remorse for the boys’ deaths. She told the parole board that she’s a Christian and asked them to show her “that same kind of mercy, as well.”
“I know that what I did was horrible,” she said, wiping her eyes. “And I would give anything if I could go back and change it. I love Michael and Alex with all my heart.”
Smith was sentenced to life in prison in 1994 for the deaths of her 3-year-old son Michael and 14-month-old Alex. She initially told police a carjacker took off with her children still inside the vehicle.
The case drew international attention as Smith pleaded with the media and public to help locate her children for nine days. Eventually, Smith admitted she strapped her two sons into car seats and drove onto a boat ramp at a South Carolina lake, where she let the vehicle roll into the water with her sons still in the back seats.
“I didn’t lie to get away with it,” Smith said through tears. “I really didn’t. I was just scared. I didn’t know how to tell the people who loved them that they’d never see them again. How could I tell David he couldn’t see his sons again?”
“I’m sorry,” she continued. “I know that’s not enough. I know it’s not. I know they just sound like words, but they come from my heart. They really do.”
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