Thirty years after Susan Smith drowned her two young sons in a South Carolina lake, her ex-husband David Smith is fighting to keep her behind bars. Smith, who confessed to the 1994 murders of 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

During a recent parole hearing, David wore pins bearing his sons' photos and told the board that Smith "deliberately killed" their children. The case shocked the nation when Smith initially claimed a Black man had carjacked her vehicle with the boys inside, sparking a massive nine-day manhunt before she confessed to fabricating the story and pushing her Mazda into John D. Long Lake.

Smith's defense argued the deaths were a failed murder-suicide attempt, citing her traumatic childhood and sexual abuse by her stepfather. However, David maintains she showed no signs of suicidal intent and insists her actions were premeditated. Her parole was denied, but she'll be eligible for release every two years, with the next hearing scheduled for November 2026.