Eric Smith and his juvenile story of Murder

Photo of Eric Smith
where: 
Steuben County, New York
when: 
August 2, 1993
The Story: 

Eric M. Smith was born on January 22, 1980 in Savona, New York and is famous for murder, sexual abuse and mutilation of 4 year old Derrick Robie. During his early days, Eric was a lonely guy who was often bullied for his protruding low-set ears, thick glasses and his red hairs. Later it was discoverer Eric's mother took an epilepsy drug which is supposed to cause birth defects. It may have been a factor towards the behaviorism that followed.

The Dooms Day

On August 2, 1993, the day of murder, Eric Smith was riding his bike to a camp in a nearby park. Derrick was going to the same summer recreation program, which was being arranged only a block away from his home. While riding, Smith saw Robbie and tempted him to nearby clandestine area. There, Smith choked his neck, dropped a large rock on his head, stripped off his body, and sodomized him with a tree limb. Later, the cause of death was found out to be a head injury.

Photo of Derrick Robie

 

Later when Robie's mother when out to pick him up from the park, she found that her boy never reached there. She was worried and afraid and asked for investigation. Nearly after 4 hours, the dead body of Derrick Robie was found. The next day, all of the newspapers in Steuben County with covered with the headline.

The Confession

On August 8, 1993, Eric Smith confessed to his family that he had killed Derrick. Later, Smith's family was shared this with the police and Eric Smith was taken in custody. In 1994, Smith was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to a maximum of nine years in prison for murderers.

From the Jail, Eric wrote a letter to the victim's family stating, "I know my actions have caused a terrible loss in the Robie family, and for that, I am truly sorry. I've tried to think as much as possible about what Derrick will never experience: his 16th birthday, Christmas, anytime, owning his own house, graduating, going to college, getting married, his first child. If I could go back in time, I would switch places with Derrick and endure all the pain I've caused him. If it meant that he would go on living, I'd switch places, but I can't."

Smith was put up in juvenile care for 3 years and from there transferred to an open prison which was for young adults. Smith has been denied parole 9 times since 2002, the most recent was in April 2018.

 


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