Susan Smith, who is serving a life sentence in South Carolina for the cold-blooded murder of her two sons, has stopped playing nice since after she was denied parole — revealing that her previously sunny disposition was all just an act to get out, a source says.
“Last year, when she had a chance of getting out, she was really cooperative, helpful, even pleasant,” an employee of Leath Correctional Facility tells The Post.
“But now she’s the complete opposite. Just rude and bitchy all the time. Overnight, she went from being a model prisoner to a complete nightmare.”
Smith, 53, became internationally infamous in 1994 when she drove her car into a South Carolina lake with her two sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander strapped inside.
Then in her early 20s, Smith told police that she had been carjacked by a black man. She finally broke down and admitted that she had drowned her sons because her newest love interest didn’t want kids.
After she was convicted of double murder, she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years.
Smiths’ first chance for release came when she pleaded her case before a seven-member parole board on Nov. 20. Appearing by Zoom call from prison, she mapped out the reasons why she believed she should be released — and claimed that she was a changed woman.
“I am a Christian and I know that God has forgiven me,” Smith told the parole board, before begging the panel to “show the same kind of mercy.”
Smith’s attorney, Tommy Thomas, also advocated on her behalf, saying she was involved in mentoring other inmates and even was working toward an associate’s degree in “Christian counseling.”
Their testimony appeared to be an extension of her behavior behind bars in the weeks leading up to the hearing.
“If you didn’t know better, you’d wonder why this really nice mom was in prison,” the prison employee said. “She would call everyone ‘sweetie’ and was really helpful. If she saw something on the floor, she’d pick it up. She kept her bunk area really tidy. She was wonderful.”
But the parole hearing ultimately didn’t go well for Smith.
Only two people, her pastor and his wife, spoke in support of her. Her ex-husband, David Smith, numerous family members and people connected with the case spoke out against releasing her — and David said he would oppose her parole every two years.
“She can stay in jail for the rest of her life,” he said. “She should never get out.”
The board quickly denied her parole bid. She can reapply for parole in November 2026.
Devastated, Smith returned to prison, knowing that she has at least two more years behind bars. Almost immediately, prison employees noted a difference in her demeanor.
“It was like a switch went off,” the employee tells the Post. “She stopped being friendly and cooperative. She isn’t keeping her areas as clean as she used to. She seems like she doesn’t care.”
Even at her prison job as a wardkeeper assistant, where she’s responsible for some of the daily operations of her unit, Smith has been slacking off, the source said.
“She was one of the best employees before [her parole hearing],” said the employee, “and now she does the bare minimum, so that she doesn’t get into trouble. And she’s got an attitude when she does it.”
“Obviously the parole board could see right through her,” says the employee. “It just goes to show how manipulative she is.”
