Susan Smith's Real Name: Susan Smith
Susan Smith → Susan Smith
Quick answer: She is known publicly as Susan Smith, the name under which she was tried and is held. A Library of Congress record lists her as Susan Vaughan Smith and gives her birth as September 26, 1971, in Union, South Carolina. AP reported in November 2024 that she was 53, which matches that date. She is serving a life sentence for murder in the deaths of her two young sons.
Real name and early life
The Library of Congress record cross-references her under Smith, Susan Vaughan, indicating that Vaughan is part of her full name. CNN reports that she was 23 in 1994, and NBC News places the events near Union, South Carolina.
Career highlights
Smith is known solely because of the 1994 case and the court and parole outcomes that followed.
Conviction and sentence
NBC News says that in late October 1994 she falsely told police she had been carjacked near Union by a Black man who drove off with her sons. Her false claim set off a nine-day manhunt and intense media attention. CNN says authorities found that the children were already dead. NBC says she confessed on November 3, 1994, hours after a television interview.
AP says a jury convicted her of murder but decided to spare her the death penalty, and she received a life sentence. CNN says she is held at Leath Correctional Institution in South Carolina. AP notes that the case drew international headlines in part because of her false accusation against a Black man.
Parole hearing
On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, after 30 years in prison, the South Carolina Board of Paroles and Pardons unanimously denied her parole at her first hearing, according to AP, CNN, and NBC News. She appeared by video link. AP quotes her as telling the board, "I know what I did was horrible." NBC says she acknowledged that she had not always been a model prisoner, and CNN says the board asked about past disciplinary charges.
Her ex-husband, the boys' father, spoke against her release, joined by relatives, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials. AP says she is now eligible for a parole hearing every two years.
Name notes for searchers
Susan Smith is a very common name, so searches usually add "South Carolina," "Union," or "1994." The Library of Congress also lists the form Smith, Susan, 1971-. A Library of Congress record gives her birth as September 26, 1971, in Union, South Carolina, and CNN says she is held at Leath Correctional Institution in South Carolina, where she is serving a life sentence.
FAQ
What is Susan Smith's full name?
The Library of Congress lists Susan Vaughan Smith.
When and where was she born?
September 26, 1971, in Union, South Carolina, per the Library of Congress.
What was her sentence?
Life in prison for murder; the jury did not impose the death penalty.
Was she granted parole?
No. Her first parole bid was unanimously denied on November 20, 2024.