Michael & Alex Smith
Susan Smith drowned her two sons Michael (3) and Alex (14 months) by rolling her car into John D. Long Lake. She initially claimed a Black carjacker took them.
On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina reported that a Black man had carjacked her vehicle with her two sons inside. The nation rallied around the grieving mother as police launched a massive manhunt.
Nine days later, Smith confessed to rolling her Mazda into John D. Long Lake with three-year-old Michael and fourteen-month-old Alex strapped into their car seats. She had watched the car sink.
Smith's motive was linked to a romantic relationship with a wealthy local man who had told her he didn't want children. Her false racial accusation inflamed tensions in the small Southern town.
Smith was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. She became eligible for parole in 2024.
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