Lifestyle

Killer Mom Susan Smith's Parole Board Tears Were Fake, Fired Ex-Guard Says

Published

1 year ago

November 21, 2024

Killer Mom Susan Smith's Parole Board Tears Were Fake, Fired Ex-Guard Says

Convicted child killer Susan Smith‘s tears at her parole hearing were all BS, totally fabricated to sway the board … this, according to a former guard who was fired and prosecuted for having sex with her in prison years ago.

Alfred Rowe — a disgraced prison guard formerly employed at Camille Graham Correctional Center in South Carolina, where Smith served until 2000 — tells TMZ … the parole board made the right choice by keeping her in prison.

Court TV

Rowe says he doesn’t think Smith has changed … and getting emotional at the hearing was all for show — with AR saying someone must’ve bottled some tears and brought them in for her to use, ’cause she’s not capable of that level of emotion on her own.

Rowe says it’s possible she feels a little remorse … but, her getting worked up like she did was a total fabrication.

The ex-guard previously admitted to us sex with Smith wasn’t worth losing his job or his reputation — he told TMZ he “allowed” Smith to give him oral sex 2 to 3 times, but said she asked for nothing in return. Prison authorities caught wind of their interactions and fired Rowe and another guard. Rowe pleaded guilty in 2001 to sex with an inmate and was sentenced to 5 years’ probation. He said his negative opinion of Susan has nothing to do with their past.

susan smith mugshot 90-current

As we told you … Smith’s appeal to the parole board was shot down unanimously this morning — with five voting to deny and one recusing herself from the vote.

Smith claimed she’d learned a lot and changed since murdering her 3-year-old and 14-month-old sons back in 1994. The boys’ father came to the hearing and advocated on their behalf — saying this was a horrible decision, not an accident or mistake.

susan and david smith

The parole board cited the seriousness of Smith’s crime and her unfavorable discipline record as why they turned down her request. Rowe previously referred us to her disciplinary infractions over the years — many for drug-related offenses. He noted her infraction record was among the worst he had ever seen.

Rowe says he’s sure the parole board made the right choice.

Lifestyle

‘Wait Wait’ for February 28. 2026: Live in Bloomington with Lilly King!

Published

10 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

‘Wait Wait’ for February 28. 2026: Live in Bloomington with Lilly King!

An underwater view shows US’ Lilly King competing in a heat of the women’s 200m breaststroke swimming event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris, on July 31, 2024. (Photo by François-Xavier MARIT / AFP) (Photo by FRANCOIS-XAVIER MARIT/AFP via Getty Images)

François-Xavier Marit/Getty Images

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François-Xavier Marit/Getty Images

This week’s show was recorded in Bloomington, Indiana with host Peter Sagal, judge and scorekeeper Bill Kurtis, Not My Job guest Lilly King and panelists Alonzo Bodden, Josh Gondelman, and Faith Salie. Click the audio link above to hear the whole show.

Who’s Bill This Time

State of the Union is Hot; The Tribal Council Convenes Again; A Glow Up In the Doll Aisle

Panel Questions

The Toot Tracker

Bluff The Listener

Our panelists tell three stories about a travel hack in the news, only one of which is true.

Not My Job: Olympic Swimmer Lilly King answers our questions about Lil’ Kings

Olympic Swimmer Lilly King plays our game called, “Lilly King meet these Lil’ Kings” Three questions about short kings.

Panel Questions

Cleaning Out The Cabinet; Bedtime Stacking

Limericks

Bill Kurtis reads three news-related limericks: Getting Cozy With Cross Country Skiing; Pickleball’s New Competition; Bees Get Freaky

Lightning Fill In The Blank

All the news we couldn’t fit anywhere else

Predictions

Our panelists predict, after American Girls, what’ll be the next toy to get an update.

Lifestyle

Zendaya and Tom Holland Are Married, Her Longtime Stylist Claims

Published

11 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Zendaya and Tom Holland Are Married, Her Longtime Stylist Claims

Law Roach
Zendaya and Tom’s Wedding Already Happened …
Y’all Missed It!!!

Published
March 1, 2026
6:34 PM PST

Zendaya and Tom Holland are married … so claims her longtime stylist, Law Roach.

Here’s the deal … the celebrity stylist — who started styling Zendaya way back in 2011 — spoke to Access Hollywood on the Actors Awards red carpet where he sang out “The wedding has already happened, you missed it.”

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

The AH reporter asks in shock if that’s true … and, Law responds by saying it’s “very true” before walking off.

This isn’t the first time Tom and Zendaya’s relationship status has made headlines on a red carpet … remember at the Golden Globes in 2025, Zendaya had a ring on that finger — and, the next day, we found out the two were engaged.

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TMZ.com

Zendaya and Tom met on the set of “Spider-Man: Homecoming” in 2016, started dating a couple years later and went public with their relationship in 2021.

We’ve reached out to Tom and Zendaya’s teams … so far, no word back.

Lifestyle

Bet on Anything, Everywhere, All at Once : Up First from NPR

Published

22 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Bet on Anything, Everywhere, All at Once : Up First from NPR

Online prediction market platforms allow people to place bets on wide-ranging subjects such as sports, finance, politics and currents events.

Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images

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Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images

The rise of prediction markets means you can now bet on just about anything, right from your phone. Apps like Kalshi and Polymarket have grown exponentially in President Trump’s second term, as his administration has rolled back regulations designed to keep the industry in check. Billions of dollars have flooded in, and users are placing bets on everything from whether it will rain in Seattle today to whether the US will take over control of Greenland. Who’s winning big on these apps? And who is losing? NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn joins The Sunday Story to explain how these markets came to be and where they are going.

This episode was produced by Andrew Mambo. It was edited by Liana Simstrom and Brett Neely. Fact-checking by Barclay Walsh and Susie Cummings. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez.

We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at TheSundayStory@npr.org.

Listen to Up First on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.