DENVER (Court TV) — Thirty years after Susan Smith shocked America by drowning her two young sons in a South Carolina lake, the prosecutor who tried her case revealed never-before-heard details at CrimeCon 2025.
Tommy Pope kicked off his talk with a Rush song, a PowerPoint full of ’90s clip art, family photos, and Andy Griffith references — joking that his accent made him sound more like a weatherman warning of a tornado than a prosecutor. The lighthearted opening gave way to a sobering journey through the Smith case, the investigation and the haunting images that have stayed with him decades later.
A Mother’s Betrayal
Former prosecutor Tommy Pope shared how the unprecedented coverage shaped the case during his presentation at CrimeCon 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Court TV)
In October 1994, Smith told police her sons, Michael, 3, and Alex, 14 months, had been kidnapped in a carjacking. For nine days, the country searched. But Pope said investigators quickly suspected her story didn’t add up — carjackers don’t take children.
The truth was even more chilling: Smith rolled her car into John D. Long Lake with her boys strapped into their car seats. Pope described the moment divers recovered the vehicle. “The boys were right where she left them,” he said, recalling a crime scene so devastating that even seasoned law enforcement officers wept.
One image Pope showed — a close-up of the car with the boys still inside — was too painful for the public. He described it only briefly, voice breaking as he explained how something as ordinary as a car seat became a symbol of betrayal.
Affairs and Obsession
Pope also highlighted what he said was Smith’s motive: her desperate desire to hold onto a relationship with local man Tom Findley, who had made it clear he did not want children. “Susan saw her boys as obstacles,” Pope said. “In her mind, if a Black man stole her children, she would be a victim. But if she gave them up for a man, she would be a bad mother.”
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He revealed details of Smith’s troubled personal life, including multiple affairs with Findley, his father, and even her stepfather, Bev Russell. “This case was about mental health and about Susan always putting Susan first,” Pope told the audience.
The Car That Wouldn’t Stop Sinking
A vehicle identical to Susan Smith’s Mazda is used in a courtroom reenactment, showing how long the car floated before sinking — a chilling six minutes that prosecutors argued was enough time for her to save her children. The images were shown by former prosecutor Tommy Pope at CrimeCon 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Court TV)
Perhaps the most harrowing evidence came from a re-creation. Prosecutors purchased an identical car and sent it down the same boat ramp to determine how long it would take to sink. Pope explained the test was crucial to show jurors how much time Smith had to change her mind.
The car floated for six agonizing minutes before it finally submerged — time Pope described as “an eternity to save your children.” Watching water creep over the camera lens in the recreation, he admitted, was one of the few moments in his career that nearly left him unable to speak in court.
A Legacy of Loss
Smith was sentenced to life in prison and remains eligible for parole every two years. Last November, all voting members of the South Carolina parole board denied Smith’s bid to be released from prison after she had served 30 years.
For David Smith, the boys’ father, each hearing reopens old wounds. Pope said he still considers the case a personal loss: “We lost two beautiful children. David has carried that pain every single day.”
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Now Senior Counsel at Elrod Pope Law Firm and a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Pope has tried countless cases, but none have left a mark like this one. “Whatever else I do,” he told the crowd, “people will always remember me for Susan Smith.”
