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Susan Smith will stay down bars.
Thirty years aft sidesplitting her 2 young sons by drowning them successful a South Carolina lake, the 53-year-old was denied parole successful a unanimous determination by a South Carolina parole committee connected Nov. 20, according to CNN.
Before the parole committee meeting, Susan expressed her regret implicit the murders of her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex, saying she knows what she did "was horrible."
"I would springiness thing if I could spell backmost and alteration it," she told the parole committee via video, per the outlet. "I'm sorry. I cognize that's not enough. I cognize they're conscionable words but they travel from my heart."
Susan is presently serving a beingness sentence for the 1994 crime. On Oct. 25 of that year, she had strapped her boys into their car seats and fto the car rotation into a water adjacent her home. She past told constabulary that a antheral had carjacked her and kidnapped her children.
However, authorities were skeptical of her communicative and little than 2 weeks aboriginal she admitted to sidesplitting Michael and Alex. During her trial, prosecutors claimed that Susan was having an matter with different man, but that helium had ended it due to the fact that of her children. However, her lawyer argued that she was suicidal and depressed, and had primitively intended to termination herself arsenic well.
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During her parole hearing, the committee reminded Susan that her lawsuit took resources distant from the assemblage arsenic they searched for her children, to which she responded, "I'm atrocious that I enactment them done that."
"I privation I could instrumentality that back, I truly do. I didn't prevarication to get distant with it," she added. "I was conscionable scared. I didn't cognize however to archer the radical that emotion them that they'd ne'er spot them again."
However, she believes she has made peace, saying, "I americium a Christian and God is simply a large portion of my beingness and I cognize helium has forgiven maine and I cognize that is by his grace and mercy. And I conscionable inquire that you amusement that aforesaid benignant of mercy arsenic well."
E! News has reached retired to Susan's lawyer for remark but has not heard back.
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Susan's ex-husband and the children's father, David Smith, was besides contiguous for the meeting—they divorced successful May 1995—and was joined by relatives, including his current wife Tiffany Smith, arsenic helium urged the committee to contradict parole.
"I'm not present to talk astir what she's done successful prison. You each person the records and accounts of each that," David began, per CNN. "I'm conscionable present to advocator connected Michael's and Alex's behalf and arsenic their father."
He was affectional arsenic helium added, "God gives america escaped choice, and she made escaped prime that nighttime to extremity their lives. This wasn't a tragic mistake. She purposely meant to extremity their lives. I ne'er person felt immoderate remorse from her. She ne'er expressed immoderate to me."
He besides expressed however helium sees her victims arsenic much than conscionable their children.
"What she did not lone to Michael and Alex," helium explained, "she came beauteous adjacent to causing maine to extremity my beingness due to the fact that of the grief she brought upon me."
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The 54-year-old besides said that helium doesn't judge Susan has served capable time, noting that 30 years is lone "15 years per child."
And arsenic Susan is up for parole each 2 years going forward, David told the parole board, according to ABC News, "I volition beryllium present each 2 years going guardant to guarantee that their decease doesn't spell successful vain."
Tommy Pope—who was the archetypal authoritative successful Susan's 1995 case—also spoke retired against granting her parole, telling the board, "Susan has ever focused connected Susan."
"Susan made a horrible, horrible prime to take a antheral implicit her family," helium said. "If she could person enactment David successful the car, helium would've been there, too."
The now-state typical besides feels that for the execution she committed, "that punishment has not been achieved yet."
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