As the prosecution hadn’t an iota of evidence to charge Putnam, he could have easily escaped the penitentiary. In an interview with the Associated Press, Prosecutor John Paul Runyon expressed his shock over Putnam’s startling confession. ![]() It wasn’t until a year later that Mark Putnam committed his crimes himself. When Susan’s sister Shelby Ward reported her missing, fingers were pointed at Putnam, but to little effect. Image Credit: WSAZ NewsĪfter the tragic events that transpired, Mark Putnam had put Susan’s dead body in the trunk of his car and kept it there for an entire day, before taking it to a roadside ravine and dumping it the following night. This threw Susan into a violent rage and the two ended up engaging in alteration, where Putnam ended up strangling her. When Smith alleged that the baby was Putnam’s, the latter asked for a paternity test and even offered to adopt the child. He then took Smith on a drive to Peter Creek Mountain. When Putnam visited Pikeville again to wrap up another case, he became aware of the rumors of pregnancy that Susan had been spreading. Their relationship soon escalated and Mark and Susan purportedly engaged in sexual relations repeatedly.įrom buying Putnam expensive presents to creating diversions at his work, Susan’s fascination with Mark became a cause for concern. However, their relationship was cut short when Putnam moved to Miami after getting stationed there. As per the book, Susan Smith was enamored by the new FBI officer Mark Putnam and began calling his house, where she would speak to his wife for hours. However, things soon changed when Susan Smith’s attention and devotion to her professional role transcended into something else.Ī former columnist for The New York Times, Joe Sharkey, has also covered the events that led to Susan’s murder in his book ‘Above Suspicions’ which serves as an inspiration for the movie. As an informant, Susan, who was 25 at the time, relayed the shotgun she’d seen with Lockhart that hinted at the possibility of another grand bank robbery. When a mutual acquaintance of Susan and Kenneth Smith, Carl Edward “Cat Eyes” Lockhart, became the suspect in a major case, newly-arrived FBI officer, Mark Putnam, made Susan his handler and the eyes and ears for the investigation. In Pikeville, Putnam had been assigned to locate the robber who had stolen $18,000 in cash from a nearby bank in Meta, Kentucky. Who Killed Susan Smith?īorn in 1959 in Connecticut, Mark Putnam had just graduated from the FBI Academy when he was stationed in the small Appalachian town of Pikeville, Kentucky in 1987. It wasn’t until a year later that Susan Smith’s naked dead body would be discovered at a roadside ravine in Pikeville Kentucky that answers to the mystery arose. The police even questioned her husband Kenneth Smith’s involvement in the matter but to little avail. When the police questioned local robber Lockhart who she had helped put away, no answers came to the fore. Smith was reported missing by her sister after her disappearance on June 8, 1989. Image Credit: Bittersweet Memories/Find A Grave Despite their eventual divorce, the pair stayed together and shared a home with their children. The couple had gotten married in the late ‘70s and had two children - Brady and Miranda. At 15, Susan met Kenneth Smith, aged 22, in Pikeville, Kentucky. Susan Smith’s parents had first moved to Freeburn, Kentucky when she was an infant, where she continued her education till the 7th grade and dropped out consequently due to financial problems. Let’s delve into the case and unravel further details!īorn in 1961 in the town of Matewan, West Virginia, Susan Smith was the fifth of nine children. ![]() ![]() If you are wondering about the tragic events that transpired between Susan Smith and Mark Putnam, look no further. Moreover, the truth about Susan Smith is enough to leave people wondering about eschewing moralities. Featuring Emilia Clarke, Jack Houston, Sophie Lowe and Austin Herbert, the 2021 crime thriller gives an embellished version of the crime that left many astounded.
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