Have you got friend together to paint or repair a him? Some of the money will be put into a trust fund for Smiths children--Meranda Lynn, 8, and Brady, 5--she said. He was a man with a big secret. He ADMITS to killing an African American kid when he was 18. He now reportedly works as a physical trainer and has remarried. At that time, Putnam strangled and killed Smith and placed her body in the trunk of his car. In 1987, an ambitious rookie FBI agent came to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first posting out of the academy. It doesnt matter if youre an upstanding citizen. Release Date. Susan Daniels Smith grew up poor in an area on the border of Kentucky and West Virginia, the fifth of nine children. Murder of Susan Smith - Wikipedia The couple was driving on a rural eastern Kentucky highway at the time and pulled off the road at Peter Creek Mountain. [2], Putnam was released from prison in 2000, at age 41. Mark Putnams wife, Kathy, has moved to Minnesota to be near her husband. This was also apparently the first time that an FBI agent was actually convicted of murder. While Mark Putnam always wanted to be an FBI agent, Carl Edwards "Cats Eyes" Lockhart said that he wanted to be a bank robber ever since he was a child, Joe Sharkey writes in "Above Suspicion." I spent two years in prison and very quickly saw that if I had been black or brown I would still be there. Not one scintilla or shred of evidence to bring a charge or convict this man., In the 28 years that I have been a prosecutor, this is the first experience that I have had where a lawyer called me on a telephone and said, I have a man who wants to confess to murder, or homicide, and wants to go to the penitentiary, and we had absolutely no evidence.. According to Lexington Herald-Leader, he is possibly working in the Georgia area as a personal trainer. They met frequently to exchange information about Lockharts activities and plans. Sadly, after he came back to town and agreed to meet with Susan Smith, he strangled her and threw her nude body down a ravine. School adding extra police, principal says, Central KY mans murder charge reduced to manslaughter. I just wish it would all die down. People like him should be locked up for life,as the principles of his job he did not abide by We have enough social justice warriors in the world. Two years ago, Putnam's wife, Kathy, who. Then, on the other, I think she saw him and her as Bonnie and Clyde.. At the end of the day, Smith and Putnam are the only ones who truly know how long the affair lasted, and it's impossible to know which one of them was telling the truth. Putnam would pay her thousands of dollars for tips, while she became increasingly enamored with her handler. He soon met a girl from the nearby holler who worked as an informant. What would you do if someones trying to snatch your weapon away from you? In mid-1986, Mark learned that he'd been accepted into the FBI Academy, and on October 6, 1986, he graduated and was finally rewarded with the gold FBI badge he'd long dreamed of obtaining. While Mark Putnam and Susan Smith were working together, she started hanging around the courthouse looking for him. Susan Daniels Smith was born in Matewan, West Virginia, in 1961, but soon after her birth, her family moved to Freeburn, Kentucky. ", By the time Mark and Kathy moved to Pikeville, she was pregnant with their second child. It was apparently the first case in FBI history in which an agent had been charged with a homicide, said Terry OConnor, the FBIs top agent in Kentucky. This story has been shared 142,081 times. He was 22 at the time, she was 15. In 1977, Susan Smith met Kenneth Smith, a local dealer of methamphetamine, PCP, and cocaine. Offers may be subject to change without notice. [3] His aim was to arrest a famous 32-year-old ex-convict and bank robber, Carl Edward "Cat Eyes" Lockhart. Simpson acquittal. ", According to the Los Angeles Times, medical examiners claimed that they were unable to find "any trace of a fetus" duringan autopsy on Smith, who was reportedly four months pregnant. All rights reserved. And once that $5,000 was used, there wasn't really any upper limit. To date, he is the only FBI agent convicted of homicide. As far as the FBI is concerned, this is a difficult day but I would hope that our entire record is whats going to govern the way that people think about the FBI, OConnor said. But now he can be found at the movies- or in one. He served his time there have plenty of persons of color who were released either by being model prisoners or because they were found not guilty, Mark had no former criminal file and was, before the murder, an upstanding citizen. She falsely claimed to be pregnant. Glad to see race was brought up when it has nothing to do with this case. Did Goebbels help write this?? Movie crew scouting central Kentucky for locations - WLKY Being an informant was a fairly common phenomenon in the area during this time although the pay was low and the risk was high. How nice for him. According to The Cinemaholic, Putnam met up with Smith once more for what would be the last time. Although Mark Putnam was now based in Miami, Florida, he returned to Pikeville in the summer of 1989 to tie up a car theft case that he had been working on. That partnership, according to reports, soon became an affair. Huggins was hired as a technical advisor for Above Suspicion, the feature film based on the non-fiction book of the same name that depicts the tragic saga of Mark Putnam . Books and television programs were created using the story and that shock continues to cause ripples in different forms of media today. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. That film was finally released during the pandemic. According to Monsters & Critics, Putnam later claimed that "he snapped because Susan was threatening to tell his wife about the affair.". He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Probably, i dont know why he wouldnt start over again if he was a different color, I was about to come to the conclusion that things were all fine between the races until the O.J. Thriller. Copyright 2021 WYMT. Its interesting how the movie Above Suspicion left out the part where it turned out Susan wasnt really pregnant afterall. Putnam and Susan met in the spring of 1987. lame prosecution The blood shrank the glove. Whats your point ? On the one hand, she seemed to have the idea that it was like a regular job, and Mark was her boss, Kathy says in Sharkeys book. Wild Bill Hickok: Fortune Leaves Him in the Lurch, https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/white-people-s-war-on-western-civ/, Helene Knabe: Pioneering Doctor and Murder Victim, George Joseph Smith: Bridegroom Makes for Unusual Serial Killer, Annie Le: Insider Murder Ends a Promising Life, Frank Howard: Strange and Sensational Murder for Hire, Tony Baekeland: Odd Son, Troubled Mother, and Murder, Eric Witte: Mother Manipulates Boy to Commit Startling Murder, Lethal Lovers: Sensational Case of Love and Murder. On June 16, Smith's sister Shelby Ward filed a missing person report after failing to find Smith. Putnam, who resigned Friday, worked in Pikeville for about two years until his transfer to Miami in May 1989. Sometimes you get the good people who believe in real justice, and sometimes you do get them racist tyrants. Susan and Kenneth eventually divorced, although they kept sharing their home with each other and their children. Erin, it would do you good to read this article by Black Author Lipton Matthews: White Peoples War on Western Civilization https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/white-people-s-war-on-western-civ/. Locals believe keeping the story alive is important, but some are suspicious of how the story will come across through the Hollywood gaze. Good read, Irving! Susan Daniels Smith, aka Sue Smith, the Pikeville, Kentucky, informant who was killed by her married lover, FBI Agent Mark Putnam, will have her story discussed again for the first time in many years on Betrayed, the new Investigation Discovery crime series. Meanwhile, the guy who robbed the bank gets nearly 60years. It is unlikely it will die down soon. [4] The next day, he dumped Smith's body along an old coal mining road. There is a wikipedia entry named "Murder of Susan Smith" about her case. He soon met a girl from the nearby holler who worked as an informant. Furthermore, this has nothing to do with OJ getting under anyones skin or the color of ones skin. In 1987, an ambitious rookie FBI agent came to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first posting out of the academy. Its a woman who lost her life. Witnesses offer conflicting accounts, Mars Voltas lead singer broke with Scientology and reunited with the band. Putnam, who already had been transferred to Miami, dumped the body off a coal mine road in the eastern Kentucky hills and returned to his wife and two children. Initially, Mark Putnam didn't stand out at the FBI. But I had pleaded guilty to murder in 2001 of a Chicago police man and got out 2012 for good model. Growing up, Putnam was described as an overachiever, and when it came to sports, he was "highly competitive" and would stop at nothing to win the game. Might not have even been a manslaughter. Karla Ward: 859-231-3314, @HLpublicsafety. Susan Daniels was born in Matewan, West Virginia in 1961. A year later, apparently racked by guilt, he offered to lead authorities to her body. Adaptation. Films based on a true story often take far too many liberties with the truth. A year later, apparently racked by guilt, he offered to lead authorities to her body. And getting just 16 years for murder is ridiculous and 10 is even more so. Since on average most black men arent rich, they do fare the worst in the injustice system. I would like to read something written about that. [1] They married in the late 1970s, and soon after Kenneth was arrested on November 27, 1979. Kenneth was a drug dealer when the two of them met, and soon they were using drugs together. If he were a person of color, he wouldnt be out of prison in 10 years or at all for killing someone. But before long, Mark Putnam started to look more and more like a potential suspect, according to Monsters & Critics. Putnam was given a polygraph test, which is also known as a lie detector test. Theres a long history of killers with higher socioeconomic status than their victims getting softer sentences than what their crime alone deserved. Well now. In a signed confession, Mark Putnam said he choked Susan Daniels Smith, 27, on June 8, 1989, in an act of extreme rage while the couple arued over support of her expected child. Stop with the racism crap and look at the circumstances and why he was released. Murder of Susan Daniels Smith at the hands of FBI agent Mark Putnam And now, as movie theaters re-open, the Riverfill 10 is showing the movie on the big screen, starring actress Emilia Clarke. I remember when the story broke, being in the next town over, at the age of 12. I see her in heaven with the baby. Its disgusting to hear people defend this mans release. I read all the comments and found it entertaining, but if you watched the movie or read the book you would know why he got 18 years. Putnam had become involved in a risque sexual affair with Susan Daniels Smith, who by all accounts was from the rough side of town. "Tricorner" is a place where the states of West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia meet. She prayed for a Prince Charming to come to her rescue, and when good-looking. He declined a recent written request for an interview. But Kenneth proved unreliable, so Putnam picked Susan to be an informant instead. Smith, a mother of two from Freeburn, had been working with the FBI as an informant with an agent named Mark Putnam. In exchange, he was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter. Mark Putnam reads, exercises, works in the prison hospice and chapel, and is talkative during calls to his family. He claims he told her he would get a paternity test once the baby was born, and that he and Kathy would adopt the child. The reason Treyvon Martin was killed was because he did not have sense enough to ask, why are you following me? Trayvon, in typical thug style, tried to give an innocent man a beat down. And.. Regardless of where they met, the two continued their affair. . Although the marriage produced two children, its hardly surprising that there were problems. ", Mark Putnam: The First FBI Agent Convicted Of Murder, daughter of a wealthy real estate developer. Putnam appeared tense during his 20-minute appearance in Pike County Circuit Court. Update: The movie about the case was released in 2020 and is available on demand. She wasnt exactly a model citizen but she didnt deserve to die although she was blackmailing him pretty much. Susan Daniels Smith, 28, dropped out of sight last June after threatening to expose the two-year affair and her pregnancy to the agent's wife, said sister Shelby Ward. With his plea deal, Putnam was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for murder. Recommended: Is Horror Movie 'Annabelle: Creation' (2017) Based On A True Story Or Not? Since her sisters death, Ward has been taking sedatives and seeing an analyst once a month. He couldnt handle it, the brother said. The next evening, he dumped her off an old coal mine road about nine miles north of Pikeville. A few months earlier, a robber had stolen $18,000 in cash from a bank in nearby Meta, Kentucky, and it was up to the local agents to identify and catch the thief. In what he called an act of extreme rage, he began choking her. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Geez. [3] Smith and Putnam met in the spring of 1987, and they began to have frequent contact for the exchange of information about Lockhart's upcoming criminal plans. In the premiere episode titled, No Escape, detectives find the body of a naked woman and learn that the woman may be the missing informant who disappeared a year earlier. The FBI Killer: Jones, Aphrodite: 9780786010394: Amazon.com: Books Then therere women who murder pregnant women to cut their babies out of them and claim them as their own in order to keep their boyfriends and husbands. Its likel that their father, Kenneth Smith, raised them but I dont know for sure. They were in love, she said, and she was pregnant with his child. I feel like Kathy and Susan were both victimized by Putnam, I saw an interview of him at the end of the movie and found it unsettling and down right creepy how he smiled when talking about Susan. An affair that eventually ended when Putnam strangled Smith. We dont need more division, we need people building bridges. And after $18,000 in cash was stolen from a bank in Kentucky, Mark set his sights on the suspect, Carl Edwards "Cats Eyes" Lockhart, The New York Post writes. Afterfailing, he confessed to Smith's murder on June 4, 1990, and told police where to find her body. [1] She studied at Freeburn grade school, but dropped out in 7th grade, because of financial problems within her family. Mark Putnam: Love and Murder in Appalachia - George Pallas Later, the medical examiner found that Kathy died due to a combination of pancreatitis and hepatic steatosis, according to the Journal Inquirer. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? She dropped out of school in 7th grade because of financial problems within her family. Susan Daniels Smith lived a life of poverty, violence and misery. Film crews were in Harlan County in 2016, recording a movie called Above Suspicion. Once an informant was approved, FBI agents were allotted $5,000 "to be distributed at the agent's discretion." PerAssociated Press,prosecutor John Paul Runyon said thatwithout Putnam's confession, Pike County prosecutors had "absolutely no evidence. It would have remained there if not for Putnam, wracked with guilt, confessing to the crime and leading investigators to the corpse a year later. But after getting a divorce, Susan and Kenneth continued living together. Police file/Family photo The story of slain FBI informant Susan. (Susan's mother was a McCoy; her father's family descended from the Hatfields.) I dont care what color he is. But according to "Fatal Deceptions" by Joe Sharkey, Smith claimed that their affair lasted two years and wasn't limited to simply getting busy in the back seat. They used her and they killed her and they dumped her out like a bag of garbage.. By the mid-1980s, Susan had given birth to two children. Its sad that you rob a bank Cat Eyes and you get nearly 60 years thanks to Susan Daniels Smith, But you murder a PREGNANT informant and you only do 10 years? According to Sharkeys book, a concerned Kathy warned her husband: Dont you ever get involved with this woman . According to The New York Post, the cause was likelyfrom her alleged alcoholism. A film adaptation of this book, Above Suspicion, was released on June 20, 2019, starring Emilia Clarke as Susan Smith, and Jack Huston as Mark Putnam.[10][11]. In 1987, an ambitious rookie FBI agent came to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first posting out of the academy. He soon met a girl from the nearby holler who worked as an informant. After being paroled, Lockhart and his girlfriend Sherri Justice rented a room from Kenneth and Susan Smith a divorced couple who maintained the same residence with their two children. The strange situation became more unhealthy and desperate. The guy did 10 years, which is well above the average for time served in his situation. And according to "The FBI Encyclopedia," she hated their new location and "soon began demanding that he seek a transfer." Murder of Susan Daniels Smith at the hands of FBI agent Mark Putnam This story was one of the very first true crime stories that I followed and is in part the reason I am obsessed with true crime in general. Putnam admitted killing his informant girlfriend, Susan Daniels Smith, in 1989 in Pike County. Besides the nonstop phone calls, Susan cut her hair short to look like Kathys. In exchange, he was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter.. . He took a life. I think the reason he doesnt call me, I think hes embarrassed, said Tim, 30. Susan did not once put her children first nor did Mark. However, the history is too long of black men being wrongfully treated by the justice system. His attorney, Pat Molloy of Lexington, said she and the children visit him regularly at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minn. I dont think this has anything to do with race? And although he was still on probation for robbing a bank, Putnam believed that Lockhart immediately went back to his old profession upon being released from prison. The story is a tragic tale of how one mans ambition and another womans wild infatuation collided with deadly consequences. In his confession, Mark said that he pulled off on the side of the road to continue the discussion. Two years prior, Putnams wife Kathy died of organ failure likely from heavy drinking at age 38. While visiting Pikeville to wrap up a case, Putnam took Smith on a drive to Peter Creek Mountain one night. [8][9], The case was the subject of The FBI Killer (1992), a book by American investigator Aphrodite Jones. I saw an interview he did with Oprah in the late 80s or early 90s he was very candid and straightforward. He was a model prisoner inside. When he reached Kentucky, Smith contacted him about her pregnancy and told him the baby was his. In the initial investigation of Susan Smith's disappearance, police focused on Kenneth Smith and his acquaintances. . You know, how many FBI killers do we know? asked Riverfill 10 Manager Cathy Harris. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). In "The FBI Encyclopedia," Michael Newton writes that Putnam graduated from the University of Tampa as a B-average student majoring in criminology. Putnam was sentenced to 16 years in prison, but was released after 10 years, early in 2000, on good behavior. The true crime behind Emilia Clarke's 'Above Suspicion' - New York Post Susan Daniels Smith lived a life of poverty, violence and misery. In other words. He said he placed the body in the trunk of his rented car and dumped it the following evening off an old coal mine road about nine miles north of Pikeville. Mark Steven Putnam was born on July 4, 1959, in Coventry, Connecticut, to Barbara and Walter. Not saying its a fair trade off for taking a life, but he did serve above the norms. So he did his time 2. Susan Smith (ne Daniels 1961[3] June 8, 1989) was an American FBI informant. And now to, you know, see her in a movie, you know, about my hometown-even though it was a dark part of our towns history, said local man and Riverfill 10 employee Jonathan Collins. Putnam had become cool in his attitude toward her, something that worried Susan greatly as she desperately tried to hold onto him. I used my instincts and shot first. Putnam was the oldest of three children, and while Barbara worked taking care of the children, Walter worked as a truck driver for Sears, according to "The FBI Killer" by Aphrodite Jones. The Inquisitr is a registered trademark. [7], In 1998, his wife Kathy died from organ failure due to alcoholism. The pay, however, for an FBI . He is adjusting. Runyon, the Pike County commonwealth's attorney at the time, added that in his almost 30 years as a prosecutor, this was the first time that they encountered someone who wanted to confess to a homicide while the prosecution had absolutely no evidence. Sentenced to 16 years in prison, he served 10. on one of Susans bones? Neighbors in Freeburn, Ky., say the children appear to be living happily with their father. Smith was a local dealer in methamphetamine, PCP, and cocaine, hardly a model citizen. The case also appears on Season 1 Episode 1 of the Investigation Discovery series Betrayed. He still did quite a bit of time considering Compared to many cops for instance..who never serve time at all for murder! The case may have been over, but Susan and Mark continued to meet. During his time in college, Putnam mentioned to his soccer coach that he dreamed of being an FBI agent. With the way our society has allowed punishment for crimes to be diminished to a slap on the wrist the answer to your question would be a simple yes. It is believed that the affair broke her heart. And then she met Mark Putnam and became obsessed. 7.8K views 9 months ago In 1987, an ambitious rookie FBI agent came to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first posting out of the academy. This system is so broken and twisted in this entire country. But thats only part of the story. Your email address will not be published. Susan Daniels Smith, aka Sue Smith, the Pikeville, Kentucky, informant who was killed by her married lover, FBI Agent Mark Putnam, will have her story discussed again for the first time in many years on Betrayed, the new Investigation Discovery crime series. Throughout all this, Putnam, 31, also has remained silent. Every time something like this occurs, the color card is played. As a result, his confession is assumed to be an honest retelling of events. Not one scintilla or shred of evidence to bring a charge or convict this man.. Whether or not these claims played into the decision, Mark was transferred to Miami, Florida in 1989. . The 28-year-old woman, Putnams informant and lover, was reported to have been four months pregnant when she was strangled on June 8, 1989, but medical examiners officials say they have yet to find any trace of a fetus. The number one thing in this whole sad, sick story was Susans children and Marks children, they deserved better. "Former FBI Agent Pleads Guilty To Slaying Kentucky Woman", "$5,000 in 1987 2017 | Inflation Calculator", "Victim's Sister Haunted by Slaying a Year After FBI Agent Confessed: Crime: Susan Smith's family, believing her death was motivated by more than an unwanted pregnancy, is pursuing further investigation", "Former Kentucky FBI agent relives notorious case as movie consultant", "Susan Daniels Smith, Mark Putnam: FBI, 'Above Suspicion' Pikeville Killer Today", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Susan_Smith&oldid=1151691126, Deaths by strangulation in the United States, Federal Bureau of Investigation misconduct, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents convicted of crimes, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, first FBI agent to be convicted for murder, This page was last edited on 25 April 2023, at 16:35. We finally showed white America how it feels when the justice system gets it wrong. In his written confession, Putnam said he strangled Smith in a fit of rage because she was threatening to tell his wife and superiors that she was carrying his child. He placed Susan in the trunk of his rental car. And then she met Mark Putnam and became obsessed. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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And before long, police were using their own informants to piece together the story, especially after the revelation that one of them was staying in the same motel as Putnam the very night that Smith disappeared. Her worried sister, Shelby, with whom she had a close relationship knew that the last person her sister was going to see was FBI agent Mark Putnam. She was strangled by her handler and lover, FBI agent Mark Putnam.
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