Jury Should Spare Smith From Death, Her Brother Argues
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UNION, S.C. — Susan Smith’s brother took the witness stand Wednesday and protested sending “2,000 volts of electricity through her in the name of justice.”
The judge told the jury deciding Smith’s fate to ignore the comment by Scotty Vaughan as the defense began arguing why her life should be spared after her conviction for drowning her two young sons.
Under questioning by defense lawyer David Bruck about how Smith’s family would be affected by a death sentence, Vaughan said that they had been “devastated already.” His comment about electrocution was interrupted by a prosecution objection.
The prosecution earlier had completed its portion of the sentencing hearing with grim photographs of the boys’ bloated bodies. They were still strapped in car seats, a sodden teddy bear on the car floorboard at their feet. The boys’ faces were not shown.
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