Chapter 60 Section VI

The first witness called by the prosecution was Shirley McCraw.She remembered that night, as she and Susan sat on the sofa in the living room waiting for the police, Susan asked if she had any children. "I have a son." Shirley pointed to little Rico's room.Susan nodded, then turned to look at a picture of a girl in a frame on the table, Shirley said it was little Rico's girlfriend.Susan said she knew a man surnamed McGraw, whether it was a relative of Shirley's family.Shirley said no, but she knew who Susan was talking about.Shirley later said to her husband: "If my child was lost, I would never have the time to chat." Shan yelled and scolded her for not locking the car door.For a while, Linda left the crowd and stood alone on the porch outside for a long time.

Mrs McGraw was followed by a number of police investigators.Inspector Howard Wells admitted he had lied to match Susan's confession.The police did not arrange any round-the-clock surveillance posts at the intersection of Carrizo, and there were no drug smuggling cases and duty records.He also admitted that what he said at the time, in order to calm the conflicts between the black community and other residents, they were considering publishing Susan's falsehood to the media was also temporarily fabricated.Police Officer Howard Wells said that although the police had always suspected Susan, there was not enough evidence to arrest her.

Episode 3: On the second day after witnesses were summoned, the only black woman on the jury, Gal Bing, was arrested because she failed to truthfully state to the court that she had illegally used someone else’s credit card when she filled out the jury registration form. and was prosecuted.Gal admitted to Judge William Hall that she did not complete the registration form herself, as the court required, but her daughter did it for her.Jiaer Bing was later sentenced to six months in prison and fined $10,000.One of the two alternate jurors was added to the jury. Pete Rogan, from the state police, said on the witness stand that Susan Smith told him that on October 21 last year, four days before the double murder, Susan had sex with her estranged husband David.It was at that time that Susan learned that David had bugged her phone and obtained evidence of her adultery with J. Carrey Fairley, Tom Ferry's father.

During the days of the Smith brothers' disappearance, Susan Smith seemed more concerned with her image on television screens and news photos than with the fate of her two children, other investigators and certain reporters testified.She even talked about going on beachside vacations to escape the police and the media. Dawe Patch, an FBI technician who had done several polygraph tests for Susan, showed the court all the test records and maps.Whenever asked: "Do you know where the children are?", or similar questions, the results recorded by the instrument always showed that Susan was lying.

Diver Steven Morrow told the jury they also found the remains of Michael and Alex in the Mazda salvaged from Lake John D. The letter to Susan on the 17th of June. Tom Fairey also took the witness stand.He is a key witness for the prosecution.Tom successfully helped the prosecution establish Susan Smith's motives through his testimony, but he also told the jury that he felt that Susan was a "gentle and approachable person" rather than the hard heart described by the prosecutor the executioner.In the cross-examination by the defense attorney Daveed Brooke, Tom Ferry said that Susan was like a little bird, "The pleasure she felt during sex was not from physical stimulation, but from physical stimulation." The intoxication of being close to people and being caressed." Tom Ferry also mentioned that about a year ago, during the period of separation between Susan and David, he called Susan once, and David hid Eavesdrop in the closet.Then David jumped out of the closet out of jealousy, took the microphone from Susan, and said to Tom Ferry that if he had any more contact with Susan, he would beat him up, and so on.

Three of Susan's colleagues in the Kangshuo industry testified that Susan had repeatedly mentioned that if she hadn't married and had children so early, her life would have been much better than it is now. The prosecution's final witness was Dr. Sandra Conrady, the doctor who performed Michael and Alex's autopsies at South Carolina State University Medical Center in Charleston.Because Judge William Hall did not allow the prosecutor to show photos of the remains of the two children in court, nor did Dr. Conrady allow Dr. Conrady to describe the state of decomposition of her remains, Sandra Conrady's testimony was very short, only 15 minutes.

Susan admitted that she personally ended the lives of two children, and the defense lawyers have nothing to do on this point.They have considered the following two options: 1. Defense of "innocence" for Susan on the grounds that she suffers from a mental illness.This requires proof that Susan was completely unconscious when committing the crime, had no concept of right and wrong, and could not tell right from wrong.And the scientific basis must be that the perpetrator suffers from delusional disorder, or schizophrenia, or insanity.The diagnosis of the defense expert team headed by Dr. Seymour Howler denied this possibility.

2. Admit that Susan is "guilty", but because of her neurological dysfunction, although she can distinguish right from wrong and know what is illegal, she lost her mind when the crime happened and could not control her behavior at all.The panel did not consider Susan's condition to be this serious. As a result, the defense attorney for the defense had to take another step back and prove that Susan Smith's double murder was actually an "attempted suicide".To do this, they must first refute the prosecution's "motive", that is, the defendant killed his own son in order to satisfy his lover's request.

On Thursday, July 20, 1995, the defense began calling their witnesses.The first to appear in court were Pete Logan and Carol Allison, two caseworkers who had testified for the prosecution.Because they were both deeply sympathetic to Susan's situation, Daveed Brooke focused on asking them to talk about Susan's expressed regret and self-blame. Dr. Arlene Anzos, professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina, was part of a panel of psychologists hired by the defendant.She carefully studied Susan's family medical history. She told the court that many members of the Vaughan family had suffered from depression and detailed several cases of suicide and suicide attempts among Susan's relatives.

The defense's most important witness was Dr. Seymour Howler.He said that in the months before the double murder of John D. Long Lake on October 25, 1994, Susan Smith had already had obvious depression and serious suicidal tendencies.To cope with her loneliness, Susan began to drink heavily and fell into a self-destructive sexual network.In the six weeks leading up to the murder, Susan had sex with several men at the same time, including her stepfather Beverly Russo, her then-boyfriend Tom Ferry, Tom Ferry's father , the president of Kangshuo Industries and Susan's boss, J. Cary Ferry, and her estranged husband, David Smith.Dr. Seymour Howler believes that Susan's sexual behavior only temporarily relieved her depressed mood, and the ensuing guilt made her fall into a deeper depression.Dr Seymour Howler corroborated Tom Fairey's account, telling the court: "Her sexuality was largely not for her own physical gratification." Just as she studied hard to please her parents and teachers as a child , when having sex with a man, "Susan is more concerned with pleasing others and making them like her." Dr. Seymour Howler further pointed out that there is nothing special about Susan's relationship with Tom Ferry, Susan "had a strong and long-term sexual relationship with many men, and it is difficult to say that Tom Ferry must be her favorite." Therefore, the prosecution's alleged crime of murdering two children by Susan Smith in order to win her lover The motivational inference is "a ridiculous idea".

When it comes to the night of the double homicide, Daveed Brook asks Dr. Seymour Howler the question everyone cares about: "Why didn't Susan Smith end up in the lake?" Howler The doctor replied: "Because of the survival instinct that everyone has. Although Susan had decided to bury John D. Long Lake with her children before she opened the door and jumped out of the Mazda, at the last moment, She was scared." Dr Seymour Howler told the court that when Susan Smith pressed the emergency handbrake and let the Mazda slide into John D Long Lake, there was a blank in her mind that prevented her from Aware of the existence of two children.Dr. Howler analyzed Susan's psychological process when she started to fabricate lies on the way from the lakeshore to McGraw's house, and pointed out that Susan was not the deliberate liar described by the prosecution. woman.Dr. Seymour Howler finally said that if Susan's depression and suicide attempt could have attracted people's attention early, as long as a little treatment, this tragedy that shocked the whole country could have been completely avoided. The defendant also summoned Susan's friends, acquaintances, neighbors, etc. People who knew Susan and even watched her grow up told the jury that Susan was an obedient but thoughtful child since she was a child. Suicidal tendencies have been present since the age of ten.They also testified that Susan was a caring mother, and David's sister, Becky Smith, said she had held up Susan as a model of a devoted mother to her children before the case. Concluding remarks on Saturday, July 22. Chief prosecutor Thomas Pope eloquently outlined to the jury the last moments of the Smith brothers' lives. "They were trapped in the car seat, crying, shouting, asking for their mother. And the woman who put them in the car was standing high on the lake bank, covering her ears with her hands." Thomas Pope emphasized again Susan Smith's motive for the crime. "Using that emergency handbrake as a weapon, she took two young lives just to create an opportunity to live with the love of her life, Tom Ferry." The defense's Jodie Clarke was less dramatic, and as usual she used every opportunity to win sympathy for Susan.Emphasizing Susan's "unconditional love for her children" as a mother, she noted: "Michael and Alex were not intentionally harmed, so there was no murder at all." "The defendant was not evil. Incarnation, but just a desperate and painful soul distorted by life." "Susan did make her own choice, a tragic and unreasonable choice." "She should be responsible for her actions, but what really caused this What she did was her depression, depression and loneliness." Judge William Hall obviously also sympathized with Susan. When he gave instructions to the jury, he told them that in addition to the murder charges prosecuted by the prosecution, they could also consider lesser charges such as manslaughter in their deliberations.According to South Carolina law, manslaughter is only punishable by 3 to 10 years in prison. The jury returned its verdict at 7:55 p.m. after two and a half hours of deliberation.Jurors agreed with the prosecution's presentation and analysis of the case that Susan Smith knew exactly what she was doing when she pressed the emergency brake of a Mazda sedan on the shore of John D. Long Lake.They also supported the prosecution's view of the defendant's motives, pointing out that Susan Smith murdered Michael and Alex because her playboy boyfriend was unwilling to accept other people's children.When the jury chief announced in court that the jury found defendant Susan Smith guilty of two counts of premeditated murder, Susan covered her face with her hands, trembling, and tears flowed from her fingers. Only one Sunday later, on July 24, the 12 jurors returned to Judge William Hall's courtroom.Their task this time is to sentence the defendant Susan Smith.In South Carolina, the penalty for murder can be life in prison or the death penalty.The legal procedures for sentencing and trial are basically the same. The prosecution still had the opening statement from Katz Gass.He reiterated Susan Smith's "Nine Days of Deceit and Nine Days of Deceit". Daveed Bullock made opening remarks on behalf of the defendant.Now that there is a jury verdict, defense attorneys must adjust their footing accordingly.In his speech, David Brooke accepted Susan Smith's motive, pointing out that she was a fragile woman in deep trouble in her life who made an unforgivable mistake for love.David Brook said: "Actually, the maximum penalty for Susan Smith is life imprisonment, not death." During the trial of this case, many witnesses, including psychologist Donald Morgan who appeared for the prosecution Dr. also expressed the same point of view. Prosecutor Thomas Pope first played several sets of tapes in court.Susan Smith was seen tearfully before a national television audience, praying for God to punish the robbers and for her children to return safely. Ms Margaret Fryerson, of the Adam Welch Centre, was the first to appear in court.She said that after the incident, Susan Smith appeared unusually calm, unlike a mother who lost her beloved son. Susan's cousin, Margaret Gregory, told the jury how Susan Smith lied to the police and the public for nine days before each interview with reporters.Margaret Gregory is with the Richland, South Carolina Regional Police Department's Office of Public Information.After the incident, Linda Russo specially asked her to represent Susan's family in dealing with many matters with the media. The prosecution's final and longest-serving witness was Susan's ex-husband, David Smith.He wears a white shirt and a boyish Disney Mickey Mouse tie, his son Michael's favorite tie when he was alive.David tearfully told the court from the witness stand that since that tragic night on October 25, 1994, "all my hopes, all my dreams, all my life's plans and plans have been shattered." "I don't know what to do." What should I do?" "I will never be able to spend the rest of my life with Michael and Alex." David Smith burst into tears, and at least three of the jurors cried with him, and there were bursts of laughter from the gallery. There was a whimper.Judge William Hall beat the gavel several times to "Silence!" to no effect, so he had to announce a temporary adjournment.When Susan was led past David by the bailiff, Susan cried, "I'm sorry, David!" David was indifferent. Surprisingly, the defense did not cross-examine David.During the trial, the defendant's lawyers repeatedly pursued David's words and deeds.To be sure, as the father of the victim and husband of the defendant, David also bears some responsibility for this family tragedy.The media predicted that when David appeared in court, David Brook would never let him go.The prosecution also made corresponding preparations. Before handing over the witnesses, Thomas Pope had asked David to clarify several issues that the defendant might entangle in court. Afterwards, people speculated that perhaps because David Smith had already impressed the jury on the witness stand and won everyone's sympathy, no matter how hard the defendant pursued him, it would be of no avail.It was a long time before David Brooke revealed that it was his client, Susan Smith, who had begged him not to embarrass David.Susan said that among the people who are still alive in this world, she is most sorry for David. Because the prosecution had already won the jury's verdict, the judge finally allowed them to show some photos of Michael and Alex's remains in court, but only the arms and legs. Prosecutors ended up showing in court video footage of technologists simulating a burgundy Mazda sliding down a ramp into the water of John D. Long Lake.Because the engine and other mechanical parts are at the front of the car, the rear compartment of the car was basically empty at the time of the crime. Soon after the lake water began to seep into the car, the rear of the Mazda was lifted out of the water and its head plunged into the water.Prosecutor's attorney Katz Gass explained simultaneously on the TV screen that Michael and Alex had been awakened by the cold lake water at this time.When the Mazda started flipping over, the two children faced down into the lake, as if their heads had been forced into the water.Experiments showed that with the doors and windows closed, it took a full six minutes to fill the Mazda with lake water.It is conceivable how the two little brothers struggled, cried, and thrashed horribly during these six minutes... Dr. Arlene Anzos of the University of South Carolina reappeared for the defense.Her testimony this time focused on the psychological and spiritual impact of the discord in the Smith couple's relationship on the accused.Dr. Anzos stated with a large number of facts that after the Smiths separated for the last time in August 1994, Susan's mental state began to deteriorate sharply.Especially after Susan filed a divorce appeal on the grounds of David and Tiffany Moore's extramarital affair, David did a series of things that damaged the defendant's image and violated the defendant's right to privacy, such as tapping the phone and searching the defendant privately bag, and had Tiffany Moore follow the accused, etc. On October 21, David learned of the adulterous affair between Susan and J. Cary Ferry, and threatened the defendant on the spot that he would publicize the matter to Mrs. Ferry.Arlene Anzus pointed out: "Susan began to feel that she was an irredeemable bad woman, and her despair and suicide attempts were formed at this time." Four days later, Susan put the Mazda together with her two biological sons. Sent together into John D. Long Lake. Regarding such accusations, David Smith commented afterwards that discordant couples abound, but only an evil woman like Susan Smith would murder her children. Susan's brother, Scott Vaughn, took the witness stand on behalf of the accused's family.Rather than testifying, he seemed to be begging people for his sister's life: "We have lost Michael and Alex, and it would be cruel if this tragedy was used to send Susan to the electric chair." Is it absurd?" "Susan doesn't care about death, what she really fears is the suffering of living." "What punishment can make Susan feel more painful than losing two children?!" The last to appear in court was Susan's stepfather, Beverly Russo.He admitted that he had sexually harassed Susan since she was a teenager and hadn't stopped since.Most of the sex between them took place at the Russo's house, except once at Susan and David's house on Tony Road, and once in a hotel room in Spartanburg.Baveli Russo said he willingly accepted the accusations that he was being blamed for the death of the Smith brothers.Beverly Russo read in court his Father's Day letter to Susan, telling the jury: "Susan loved her children dearly, but she was sick. It was this sickness that led to this. A tragedy happened... so terrible!" In concluding remarks by both parties that followed, prosecutor Thomas Pope urged the jury to sentence defendant Susan Smith to death.He said that every step that made up the tragedy was actually Susan's own decision—"Susan Smith decided to drive to John D. Long Lake." "She decided to let Michael and Alex slide down the slope. into the lake." "The most hateful thing is that in order to cover up her crime, she decided to lie." Thomas pointed out that the remorse and self-blame that Susan Smith is now showing is nothing more than her nine days of lies, just to deceive The public, because she is a selfish, cold-blooded murderer who is good at planning and planning, and does not hesitate to destroy her two children for the sake of her lover. The defendant's defense lawyer, Daveed Brooke, held a Bible in his hand and began his final speech.He traced Susan Smith's unfortunate family history and her own bumpy life experience. He admitted that Susan's own decision led to this tragedy. He believed that the jury's decision should be wiser than Susan's, which is to sentence the defendant Suzanne Smith served a life sentence.David Brook opened the "Bible" in his hand, and turned to a page in the "Gospel of John". The story told that after an adulterous woman was caught, according to the local customs at that time, She will be stoned to death by the crowd.Jesus Christ came, and he said to the crowd—David Brooke read aloud in court—"If any of you thinks he is innocent, let him drop the first stone. Hearing this, everyone put down the stones in their hands and left one after another.Because each person has a different degree of sin in him.Daveed Brook concluded by saying that Susan Smith had killed her own child, and for this alone, she would have no peace as long as she lived in this world. Before the jury left for deliberation, Judge William Hall asked the defendant if he had anything to say, and Susan Smith shook her head dreamily. It took the jury another two and a half hours to return their decision to the court at 4:38 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, 1995.As the defense had hoped, the jury sentenced Susan Smith to life in prison.According to the law of South Carolina, prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment are entitled to apply for parole after 30 years of imprisonment. By then, it will be 2025, and Susan Smith will be 53 years old. The jury members later told reporters that when they sentenced Susan Smith, in addition to the various reasons stated by the defendant's lawyers, they also considered what Officer Howard Wells said, Susan's own confession, Help the police solve the case. In an interview with reporters, David Smith bluntly stated that he respected the jury's decision, but did not agree.He believed that Susan Smith should be sentenced to death.David said that 30 years from now, he will be present at every parole hearing for Susan Smith, and he will do everything in his power to prevent the woman from getting out of prison alive. Linda Russo once told many people that Susan was cowardly and docile by nature, and she worried that her daughter would not be able to survive the hellish prison life on earth. Three years after the double murder of Susan Smith, around 1998, the author once happened to glimpse a tabloid in a supermarket, and the front page was a photo of Susan with a blackened nose and a swollen face.和照片一起配发的消息说，苏珊在狱中经常挨揍，因为她无端栽赃黑人，更因为她亵渎了人类最神圣最无私的情感——母爱。