Freckle-faced killer Eric Smith, now 42, on parole, says he’s engaged

PROGRAM NOTE: Due to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on CBS, “Eric Smith: Gambling on a Killer” will not air on Saturday, March 19. It will air on Saturday, March 26 at 9 /ten.

Eric Smith served 28 years in prison for the 1993 murder of a 4-year-old boy. He was released from prison in February. Is he a changed man? The murdered child’s parents spoke to “48 Hours” and CBS News chief investigator and senior national correspondent Jim Axelrod in their first extended interview since Smith was released from prison. “Eric Smith: Gamble with a Killer.”

August 2, 1993, marked a terrifying day for the small town of Savona, New York, when local teen Eric Smith murdered a 4-year-old boy, Derrick Robie, who lived across the street. Early that morning, 13-year-old Smith discovered the child walking alone to summer camp in the park.

Derrick Robie was 4 years old when he was murdered near his home in Savona, New York, on August 3, 1993. Robie’s family

“This is the first time I let [Derrick] go anywhere alone,” Derrick’s grieving mother, Doreen Robie, told “48 Hours.” “And it’s a block away, on the same side of the road. … He kissed me and I said, ‘I love you.’ It says, ‘I love you, mom.’ And he jumped off the sidewalk.”

Smith lured the child into a wooded area, promising to show him a shortcut. When they were alone, he strangled Derrick and beat him to death with stones.

Robie reported her son missing after being told he had never been to the park. Hours later, searchers found Derrick’s body just yards from the park, in the woods.

With the big killer, the inhabitants of Savona fear for their own children. They couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to kill the famous little T-ball player they called the “unofficial mayor of Savona”, the kid happily sitting in the corner greeting everyone. They assumed the killer was a stranger, from out of town.

Days later, a friend of the Smith family began to worry about Eric’s behavior. Marlene Heskell told “48 Hours” that on the night of the murder, “[Eric] asked me what would happen if it was a child. I said, ‘I think they really need mental help.’ And he– ‘Oh, okay,’ you know. And he left.” She remembers Eric going to the same park near the crime scene. “And that’s when it dawned on me that, OK, he might actually know something or have seen it. . anything else.”

Heskell called Smith’s mother and they took Eric to police headquarters to meet with investigators. Investigator John Hibsch said Eric seemed to enjoy talking about murders. “Absolutely loved it. Didn’t want it to end.”

At first, Eric denied seeing the boy, but later confessed to the crime.

His grandfather was there and recalls Eric saying, “‘I’m sorry mom. I’m sorry. I killed that boy.”

Convicted murderer Eric Smith released from prison after killing a 4-year-old boy in 1993 for 48 hours on YouTube

In August 1994, Smith, then 14 years old, was tried as an adult and sentenced to nine years in prison. Smith was held in a juvenile detention center and transferred to an adult prison after he turned 21.

Nearly nine years after the crime, Smith had his first parole hearing. His parole was denied.

But Smith will have more opportunities to be pardoned every two years for nearly two decades. It was a recurring nightmare for the Robie family.

Doreen Robie said: “I am saddened that we have to beg to keep this killer behind bars. “They can decide that well, now he’s out of his time and we’re going to let him go… That terrifies me.”

For years, Smith spoke of his experience. In 2004, Smith, then 24, told “48 Hours” that he had killed Derrick Robie after years of relentless bullying by other children.

John Tunney, who prosecuted Smith, told “48 Hours” collaborator Jim Axelrod, “What I really believe is that Eric is tired of being the victim in his mind… and he wanted to see what it felt like to be a victim.”

During a 2004 pardon hearing, Smith admitted before the panel that it felt great to strangle Derrick at the time “because – instead of me getting hurt, I’m hurting someone else.” other.” He also admitted that if he hadn’t been charged back in 1993, he would have killed people again, confirming John Tunney’s belief that at the age of 13, Smith was a murderer. New series budding 2004.

Investigate “48 Hours”: “Eric Smith: Gambling with a Killer” 02:36

Smith was interviewed a few years later by CBS News affiliate WENY-TV. In 2009, he said that he hoped to become a counselor so he could help other kids who were bullied like him.

Smith explained: “My anger was not directed at Derrick at all. “It was aimed at… all the other guys that had ever attacked me. And when I tortured and killed Derrick… that’s what I saw in my head.”

He understands why Robies doesn’t want him released. “I killed Derrick,” Smith said. “And for that, you know, I’m sorry… if I could swap places for him and take his grave, I’d do it right away…”

Smith said that after years of therapy, he has changed. “You can label me a monster, a cold-blooded killer, a demon child, the embodiment of Satan. … That doesn’t mean me.”

He also believes that one day he will be freed. “You know, I want to get married and have a family. You know, keep working. Let’s follow the American dream.”

No matter how much he dreams, his pardon will be denied again and again — until October 2021. Smith, now 41, has appeared before the panel for the second time. 11.

During this parole hearing, Smith revealed his future plans and said that he even had a fiancée. He said she wrote to him with questions about the juvenile justice system because she was studying to be a lawyer. They started getting to know each other and eventually, he said, they fell in love.

He felt God was calling him to ministry and said that while incarcerated he was trying to get a college degree in evangelism. He also aspires to work in electrical installation or carpentry.

“I’m not a threat,” Smith told the board. “The 13-year-old boy took [Derrick’s] life… not the man sitting in front of you is saying… if you give me a chance, I won’t just prove that I’m not a threat. I will definitely be an asset to society.”

The board decided to give Smith that chance. After news of Smith’s release, in November 2021, the Savona community held a peaceful protest to make it clear that they did not want Eric back.

Doreen and Dale Robie. “I didn’t let him take my head,” Doreen said of Smith’s release from prison. “I don’t care where he is, what he’s doing…” CBS News

Doreen Robie said: “I’m not worried about us like everyone else.

Dale Robie added: “I just know where a lot of people in town in the village have stood.

Smith’s release was delayed for months until he approved housing. In February, after serving 28 years of his sentence, the 42-year-old was released. He is currently a free man living in Queens, New York.

Doreen Robie said: “I don’t let him take up space in my head. “I don’t care where he is, what he does… because I don’t care. As long as he’s not around friends and family.”

Axelrod talks to John Tunney after Smith’s release. “Will Eric Smith be a success story?” he asks. “Or someone we’re pointing at and saying, ‘The system crashed it’?”

“That’s absolutely correct,” says Tunney. “I keep going back to my hopes… Time will tell.”

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