I spent two years in prison and very quickly saw that if I had been black or brown I would still be there. The story of slain FBI informant Susan Smith of Pikeville will be featured on an episode of the new series The Perfect Suspect, which airs at 9 p.m. Thursday on Investigation Discovery. He was a man with a big secret. . I believe him. The partners approached Lockharts best friend, Kenneth Smith, and his 25-year-old ex-wife Susan Smith. 1. Smith and Putnam's verbal argument turned physical, and he ended up strangling her. The Girl From Lonesome Holler - Joe Sharkey 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, Runyon added. I agree with you Its becoming so ridiculous to keep throwing the race card in. 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. Its true that on average, the average black man wouldnt be treated as well as the average white man. Besides the nonstop phone calls, Susan cut her hair short to look like Kathys. All rights reserved. "It's part of our culture now. According to Lexington Herald-Leader, he is possibly working in the Georgia area as a personal trainer. So he did his time 2. "Tricorner" is a place where the states of West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia meet. He could of walked out interviews and been a free man. Whats your point ? A black person would have been given life to death sentence in the 1980s /90s. Putnam would later claim that they only had sex five times over a two-week period and only in his car. 67: The Killing of FBI Informant Susan Daniels Smith - Spotify Adaptation. If they admit to having an affair with the first wife, Id cross him off. I would like to read something written about that. For Christmas, she bought Putnam expensive running shoes and a Nike shirt a big no-no for an FBI informant. According to the Associated Press, what made the case novel was that it was "apparently the first case in FBI history in which an agent had been charged with a homicide." From last weeks mob murder in Beverly Hills, we travel to Pikeville, Kentucky. 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. Investigation Discovery says The Perfect Suspect is a psychological thriller, dissecting every deep, dark secret and looking into each suspect until they ultimately find a killer.. They met frequently to exchange information about Lockharts activities and plans. The movie does say she wasnt pregnant. 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 . 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. While some claim that Putnam confessed to draw attention away from something worse, his brother insists that he simply "just couldn't bear the guilt. "Susan, too [] There's a lot of things I've not told the press things that my sister told me. It happens all the time. I agree with you. Connecticut native Putnam was 27 years old and just out of the FBI Academy when he found himself stationed in Pikeville, Kentucky, a small Appalachian town three hours from Lexington with a practically unsupervised two-agent outpost. 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. Once an informant was approved, FBI agents were allotted $5,000 "to be distributed at the agent's discretion." When a good-looking, big city FBI agent named Mark Putnam entered her life, Susan thought her prayers had been answered. Listen to this episode from Southern Fried True Crime on Spotify. I think the reason he doesnt call me, I think hes embarrassed, said Tim, 30. The affair was hot, heavy, and extremely passionate. Release Date. And then she met Mark Putnam and became obsessed. Several of Smiths survivors, including ex-husband Kenneth Smith, have received money from Jones advance, and she said half the royalties also would go to the family. 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. Not saying its a fair trade off for taking a life, but he did serve above the norms. He did not know how to control himself and he paid the price. Regardless, the two of them got together at some point, and Putnam took them for a drive. He murdered a woman in cold blood with his bare hands and he only had to serve 10 years. Susan grew up and attended school there until the 7th grade, when she was forced to drop out due to her family's financial insecurity, according to The Cinemaholic. The next evening, he dumped her off an old coal mine road about nine miles north of Pikeville. I thought he was some white dude trying to scare me with a pistol. Susan Daniels Smith (1961-1989) - Find a Grave Memorial Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. 1994 . It might have made Susan less sympathetic to some. He moved there in 1987 with his wife Kathy and their two young children. Simpson is concerned, as sure as I am black and youre white, OJ is guilty.. Ep67: the Killing or FBI Informant Susan Daniels Smith is available everywhere now #fbi #pikeville #kentucky #pikevilleky #murder #holler #hillbilly #southernfriedtruecrime YupPigs always get away with the evil they do. See latest map, Fayette County schools not following law on gifted education, parents lawsuit claims, Transfer portal talk: Former Ivy League star with family ties to John Calipari in portal, Head-on crash leaves one person with life-threatening injuries, Lexington police say, After being drafted by Commanders, Chris Rodriguez knows his mom would be proud, Four people shot at prom after-party in Kentucky. He has told his story but she is not here to tell hers so we will never truly know what happened on the day of her death but one thing is certain, 10yrs was too short a time compared to the sentence being served to people of color for the same crime. Thriller. Susan Smith (ne Daniels 1961 [3] - June 8, 1989) was an American FBI informant. Hum I wonder why? Putnam had returned to Pikeville for several days to work a car theft case he had investigated. I wonder if hed be a remarried personal trainer if he were anything other than white? The victims sister, Shelby Ward of Freeburn, was cited for trying to conceal a .38-caliber handgun in the courtroom by Kentucky State Police, and was released. Those are the facts, regardless of the bullcrap people tend to spread. [4] Putnam insisted he and his wife Kathy could adopt the baby but Smith refused. [8][9], The case was the subject of The FBI Killer (1992), a book by American investigator Aphrodite Jones. She died of a heart attack at age 38 in 1998. The victims family expressed outrage they were not consulted in the drafting of Putnams plea bargain. Fbi Agent Killed Informant Turned Lover, Woman Says 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. He said he knew some things on Mark Putnam that was awful . It's one of the poorest places in the U.S. The movie theater announces its showtimes on itsFacebook page. We dont need more division, we need people building bridges. He ADMITS to killing an African American kid when he was 18. Betrayed by Love (1994) - Turner Classic Movies Immediately after the hearing, Putnam was handcuffed and taken into custody by Kentucky State Police officers. Because of Shelby Wards persistence--and the wrongful-death suit the family has filed against Putnam--Susan Daniels Smiths body was exhumed in May and the autopsy on her resumed, two years after she was killed. Irving, I just read the article you linked to and wow was it enlightening. In 1987, an ambitious rookie FBI agent came to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first posting out of the academy. And then she met Mark Putnam and became obsessed. 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 Kenneth proved unreliable, so Putnam picked Susan to be an informant instead. Updated. The case, which caught the attention of local and national news outlets, was the first reported instance of an FBI agent committing homicide. But thats only part of the story. The boyfriends panicked and murdered the girls (they were all teenagers). The FBI assigned newly-minted agent Putnam to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first case, bank robber Carl Cat Eyes Lockhart. Unfortunately shes correct. [Photo by Ed Reinke/AP File]Trouble Comes Back To Town. Being an informant was a fairly common phenomenon in the area during this time although the pay was low and the risk was high. Description In 1987, an ambitious rookie FBI agent came to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first posting out of the academy. Murder of Susan Daniels Smith at the hands of FBI agent Mark Putnam Stop with trying to appear like youre helping a race or ANY underprivileged community and actually DO Something about it! Published on July 9, 2021 11:53 AM. The pair would meet two to three times every week, and Smith quickly told Putnam she believed Lockhart was planning another heist because she discovered a duffel bag with two sawed-off shotguns and ski masks in their home, Sharkey writes. Ive read two other true crime stories where the female murder victims were killed by boyfriends they told they were pregnant. Jolene thats an interesting point. Youre correct Jolene. I hear you Erin. On June 8, 1989, Susan Daniels Smith was killed in the Pikeville area. [4] The next day, he dumped Smith's body along an old coal mining road. Susan Smith (ne Daniels 1961[3] June 8, 1989) was an American FBI informant. Even in the movie they mentioned 6 is the usual for manslaughter with most serving 2 with good behavior. I actually was a correctional officer where Putnam was held. 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. Every time something like this occurs, the color card is played. So, he cut a deal. On June 8, 1989, Susan Daniels Smith was killed in the Pikeville area. But Mark, far from being deterred, instead put all of his energy into his new position, convinced that the best way to get a promotion was to "compile an impressive arrest record.". Recall that in 1987, Agent Mark Putnam was just beginning his investigation of Cat Eyes Lockhart. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. A local sheriff's deputy, Albert "Bert" Hartfield, recommended that his longtime friend Susan Smith visit Putnam to earn extra income and to help him with the case. Kenneth was a drug dealer when the two of them met, and soon they were using drugs together. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? And according to "The FBI Encyclopedia," she hated their new location and "soon began demanding that he seek a transfer." The information provided by Smith ended up leading to the FBI's apprehension of Carl Edwards "Cat Eyes" Lockhart by the end of 1987 after she told Putnam that the target had ski masks and sawed-off shotguns at her home, The New York Post writes. The movie also didnt show that Susan Smiths body was decomposing for a year before Putnam decided to tell where her bones could be found. Stop with the racism crap and look at the circumstances and why he was released. Putnams confession was attached to an indictment returned Tuesday by the Pike County grand jury. The case received nationwide attention. Susan met Kenneth Smith in 1977 when she was just 15 and he was 22. Today, Putnam is remarried and lives in Georgia. This story has been shared 142,081 times. He soon met a girl from the nearby holler who worked as an informant. His wife, Kathy, died years ago at the age of 38 from heart problems. Susan dropped out of school in seventh grade due to her family's financial difficulties. . It will forever be a win in my book. What is the point of stating this? At the time, Susan was addicted to recreational pills, and with two children under 7 years old to take care of, she definitely needed the extra cash that Putnam was offering, Carol Anne Davis writes in "Masking Evil.". Susan Daniels Smith was born in 1961 in Matewan, West Virginia, to Sidney "Sid" Daniels, an unemployed and former coal miner, and Tracy Daniels,[1] a housekeeper. But she never even tired and her children paid the ultimate price and so did Marks. You be the detective tomorrow night with @DiscoveryID: https://t.co/kkXk5o83wB @LtJoeKenda #Betrayed #HomicideHunter pic.twitter.com/HVzOjWMb1P, Warner Bros. Huh???? Offers may be subject to change without notice. The guy did 10 years, which is well above the average for time served in his situation. As a result, his confession is assumed to be an honest retelling of events. FBI Special Killer Agent | Mark Putnam / Susan Daniels Smith Case Although Mark Putnam claimed that he murdered Susan Smith because she threatened to tell his wife about their affair and her pregnancy, Smith's sister Shelby Ward remains convinced that this wasn't the only reason she was murdered. 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. I mean if he was latino maybe he would be a landscaper? His decision to confess likely wasn't just remorse; he appears to have realized that he'd finally been caught. Mark married Kathy Ponticelli, who was the "daughter of a wealthy real estate developer." But what was the relationship between Smith and Putnam, and how did it get to a point where he felt compelled to choke her to death? Neighbors in Freeburn, Ky., say the children appear to be living happily with their father. Tim Putnam, an employee for the Connecticut Legislature, said that his mother talks to Mark about every two weeks, but that he has not heard from him since Christmas. FBI Killer/The - Aphrodite Jones - Google Books Ive read all of the court paperwork. r/TrueCrimeDiscussion - Murder of Susan Daniels Smith at the hands of Mark Putnam was smart enough to realize that continuing to see Susan could be detrimental to his career and his marriage. [7], Mark Steven Putnam (born July 4, 1959) is a criminologist and former FBI agent (1987-1990). This raises the question of whether or not Smith was ever pregnant, or if there would be any reason for others to try to disprove her pregnancy. Susan did not once put her children first nor did Mark. The two physically fought, and Putnam strangled Smith. 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. [1] She studied at Freeburn grade school, but dropped out in 7th grade, because of financial problems within her family. 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. Now Putnam had a dead body on his hands. He said he strangled Smith, who had earlier told him she was pregnant, when she confronted him at a hotel in Pikeville, slapping him and threatening to expose their affair. Eventually, Susan Daniels Smith became pregnant and Mark Putnam wanted to distance himself from Smith before the affair could ruin his marriage. Plus I believe his conscience was eating at him. Former FBI Agent Pleads Guilty To Slaying Kentucky Woman Karla Ward: 859-231-3314, @HLpublicsafety. She wasnt exactly a model citizen but she didnt deserve to die although she was blackmailing him pretty much. A movie by the same name was filmed in and around Lexington and Harlan in 2016 starring Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones as Smith. . As a black person, I cheered for OJs acquittal for every Emmet Til who was lynched for looking at a white woman wrong, & for every black man wrongfully convicted, & for every Rodney King. The affair with Susan Smith ruined his marriage. To watch this riveting story, catch Betrayed, which premieres just after IDs The Perfect Murder, tonight at 9 p.m. on Investigation Discovery. PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) - The Riverfill 10 Cinema re-opened its doors Wednesday for the first time in more than one year, resurrecting the screens with- among other options- a movie about a local murder. PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ A former FBI agent who solved a year-old homicide by confessing to the crime pleaded guilty Tuesday to strangling a pregnant informant with whom hed been having an affair. He rented a car when he could have used an FBI vehicle. I didnt believe it was possible until I watched it happen regularly with my own eyes. Prosecutor John Paul Runyon, the Pike County commonwealths attorney, said that without Putnams June 4 confession, we had absolutely no evidence. What about our esteemed OJ Simpson. Meet the Smiths by Best of SWLA Susan Daniels Smith: 'Betrayed' Mark Putnam, FBI Killer Of Pregnant Informant Found Dead In Pikeville, Kentucky, Subject Of New Crime Series On ID by Inquisitr Former FBI Agent Pleads Guilty To Slaying Kentucky Woman by AP News Former FBI agent from Coventry due for release from prison by Journal Inquirer And then she met Mark Putnam and became obsessed. He soon met a girl from the nearby holler who worked as an informant. 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. Thank you for sharing! Had he been a black FBI agent, there is a good chance he might have recouped as well as Putnam after serving his sentence. He still did quite a bit of time considering Compared to many cops for instance..who never serve time at all for murder! Putnam appeared tense during his 20-minute appearance in Pike County Circuit Court. I think many times white people try to be social justice warriors and speak out for people whom they dont see as equals, thinking they are doing them a favor when its just down putting, as they ARE, of course EQUALS. Regardless of where they met, the two continued their affair. Is 'Above Suspicion' (2019) Movie Based On A True Story? Meanwhile, Mark relocated to Georgia after being released from prison. He is adjusting. 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. He took a life. He was a model prisoner inside. It is believed that the affair broke her heart. Isnt the fact that he was an FBI agent who had an affair with his informant and then killed her more pertinent to the story and any judgments about his conviction and sentence than his race? Grow up. He declined a recent written request for an interview. Books and television programs were created using the story and that shock continues to cause ripples in different forms of media today. But in 1990, Special Agent Mark Putnam became the very first FBI agent to be charged with and convicted of murder. She prayed for a Prince Charming to come to her rescue, and when good-looking. How many times have you actively helped an underprivileged community? He pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree manslaughter in 1990 in connection with Smiths death. Watching the movie it does seem like manslaughter, and if that was correct then 16 years is an appropriate sentence. Its likel that their father, Kenneth Smith, raised them but I dont know for sure. His inappropriate affect seemed the dead give away of a sociopath..perhaps even a psychopath. Aint America wonderful! And this wasn't murder in the line of dutythis was a crime of passion. They jumped up whooping and dancing around as if everyone of them had won the lottery. It took a year, but suspicion slowly focused on Mark Putnam. Truly Shameful. In "Above Suspicion," Joe Sharkey writes that before long, Mark amassed a network of informants and started thinking of himself as a "streetwise crime-fighter who was living the life that he had always dreamed about." Required fields are marked *. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Claims self defense, but who doesnt. That partnership, according to reports, soon became an affair. Susan Daniels Smith Susan met Kenneth Smith in 1977 when she was just 15 and he was 22. 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. Stop that racism stuff. She was strangled by her handler and lover, FBI agent Mark Putnam. [4][7] He moved to Georgia, remarried, and was working as a personal trainer in 2016. Did Goebbels help write this?? Murder of Susan Smith - Wikipedia Smith, a mother of two from Freeburn, had been working with the FBI as an informant with an agent named Mark Putnam. And it should. They had wanted him to stand trial for murder. According to The New York Post, the cause was likelyfrom her alleged alcoholism. This guy had zero criminal record prior and was considered a model prisoner while serving his sentence. I wonder if he would have done more time if he killed a man. Yes, he killed her, but he was also a model inmate and had not once received any disciplinary incidents. Everyone complaining about his sentence. 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. 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/. Susan was the 5th of 9 children. [1][5] Smith received $5,000 (equivalent to over $11,000 as of 2020) for her contribution to the case.[6]. Truly sick and sad on so many levels.. to excuse this behavior for any reason is exactly why this world is crashing so hard and fast now. Whatever justice was served, whether it was enough or not, will be served later by God and he has to live with himself. Meanwhile, "The FBI Encyclopedia" writes that Mark continued establishing himself as a productive agent for the Bureau. That is what every vocal or keyboard social-justice-warriors can do that actually helps the world instead trying to look pious. At least one book and a television movie about the case are in the works. The truth is, it could not be determined. furnishing informants with guns and drugs--Susan, too, she said. [4] Early life According to Monsters & Critics, Putnam later claimed that "he snapped because Susan was threatening to tell his wife about the affair.".
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