informant susan daniels smith

Watching the movie it does seem like manslaughter, and if that was correct then 16 years is an appropriate sentence. In 1987, an ambitious rookie FBI agent came to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first posting out of the academy. 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. [2] He studied at the University of Tampa, where he majored in criminology. The move was based on the suggestion of Bert Hatfield the part-time cop who initially suggested Kenneth as an informant. She died of a heart attack at age 38 in 1998. All this talk about his skin color determining the amount of time he had to serve is absurd! In the early 1990s, writer Joe Sharkey penned Above Suspicion, a book about the case, which he recently revised and updated. I remember Diane Downs, 1980s, the mother of three children who shot them because her new boyfriend wouldnt get serious with her because he didnt want to be involved with someone with kids. As an informant, Susan, who was 25 at the time, relayed the shotgun she'd seen with Lockhart that hinted at the possibility of another grand bank . When he was declared not guilty, you wouldve thought Obama had been elected. Update: The movie about the case was released in 2020 and is available on demand. The pay, however, for an FBI . Immediately after the hearing, Putnam was handcuffed and taken into custody by Kentucky State Police officers. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). I dont care what color he is. He is adjusting. Look at the numbers. The man had confessed to strangling his lover Susan Smith, who not only worked for him as an informant, but was said to be carrying his unborn child. With his plea deal, Putnam was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for murder. Since her sisters death, Ward has been taking sedatives and seeing an analyst once a month. Putnam was released in 2000 after serving 10 years in prison. Putnam and Susan met during this visit to Kentucky. 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. Shortly after her birth, her family relocated to Freeburn, Kentucky. But this narrative of being stricken with guilt ultimately plays into the idea that Putnam is a noble man who "snapped" because a woman pushed him too far and was so remorseful that he felt compelled to confess. Plus I believe his conscience was eating at him. This was truly a sad story, FBI agent Mark Putnam was taught better. And by early 1989, Mark started to pull away from Smith and stopped using her as an informant. He told the Associated Press that we had absolutely no evidence. 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. Nevertheless, Smith's family was outraged at the fact that no one had talked to them about the drafting of the plea bargain, and they'd hoped to see Putnam stand trial for murder. But when he wasn't playing sports, Putnam became more introverted and was "extremely shy and private.". Ive read two other true crime stories where the female murder victims were killed by boyfriends they told they were pregnant. Putnam put Smiths body in the trunk of the car, where it stayed for an entire day, until he dumped it into a roadside ravine the following night. There is a wikipedia entry named "Murder of Susan Smith" about her case. At autopsy, they discovered they werent pregnant. He pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree manslaughter in 1990 in connection with Smiths death. Mark walked the yard and caused 0 problems. filmed in and around Lexington and Harlan in 2016, More than 900 pounds of marijuana seized by customs agents in Kentucky, CDC advises those at high risk for COVID mask up in these 3 KY counties. 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. Its not as if there are any similar cases regarding black FBI agents. Im not saying Larry Miller should be prosecuted and Im not defending Mark Putnams disgusting actions, all Im saying that your comment about gee this wouldnt happen with anyone but a white guy is ridiculous. 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.. Kathy's mother Carol claimed that what happened to Susan was simply "a crime of passion." Putnam was the first FBI agent to be charged in a homicide.[4]. The case received nationwide attention. Two points to touch on. Whatever justice was served, whether it was enough or not, will be served later by God and he has to live with himself. Ive read all of the court paperwork. Not one scintilla or shred of evidence to bring a charge or convict this man.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. People like him should be locked up for life,as the principles of his job he did not abide by furnishing informants with guns and drugs--Susan, too, she said. After Mark Putnam was able to gain Susan Smith's trust, they started meeting two to three times every week. Smith, a mother of two from Freeburn, had been working with the FBI as an informant with an agent named Mark Putnam. Nevertheless, the two married sometime in the late 1970s. . But before long, Mark Putnam started to look more and more like a potential suspect, according to Monsters & Critics. And once that $5,000 was used, there wasn't really any upper limit. Mark Steven Putnam pled guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter (Susans autopsy determined she had not been pregnant). 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. Sheriffs deputy Bert Hatfield suggested to his friend, Susan, that she could earn extra money by becoming an informant. Prosecutor John Paul Runyon was flabbergasted. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Claims self defense, but who doesnt. We dont need more division, we need people building bridges. [5], Despite being sentenced to 16 years in prison, Putnam served only 10 years due to good behavior, and was described as a "model inmate". Watch the trailer here. Because of Shelby Ward's persistence--and the wrongful-death suit the family has filed against Putnam--Susan Daniels Smith's body was exhumed in May and the autopsy on her resumed, two years. . I felt sorry everyones children. Shelby Ward was so incensed that she tried to conceal and carry a .38-caliber handgun into the courtroom, though it's unclear if she in fact planned on murdering Putnam since she said sheforgot that she had the gun. Putnam, 30, of Sunrise, Fla., entered a guilty plea to one count of felony manslaughter in Ms. Smith's death. Ward said she would be paid $50,000 for helping with the movie. Working as a telephone switchboard operator during night shifts and weekends, Jones writes in "The FBI Killer" that Mark rarely talked to his superiors and exchanged only polite and casual greetings if he did. Although Lockhart managed to spend all of the $300,000 over the course of a "wild three-month spree" with his friend, they were arrested after returning home when their money ran out. Yes, he killed her, but he was also a model inmate and had not once received any disciplinary incidents. Throughout all this, Putnam, 31, also has remained silent. This story has been shared 142,081 times. Theres no integrity anymore, and all morals are lost. Yes, that is interesting. Sign up for the newsletter today. LoL. He used Ms. Smith as an informant in a bank robbery and car theft case. And if a black man murders the governors white daughter, u still think its 10 for him? But now he can be found at the movies- or in one. Good read, Irving! 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. Neighbors in Freeburn, Ky., say the children appear to be living happily with their father. And then she met Mark Putnam and became obsessed. This coward took away a young mother from young kids over a lie + his temper. Initially, Mark Putnam was assigned to the Louisville office in Kentucky, and Kathy Putnam had already started looking for houses in the area. Not one scintilla or shred of evidence to bring a charge or convict this man." Within five years of dropping out of school, at the age of 15, she met 22-year old Kenneth Smith, and the two of them began dating. On June 8, 1989, Susan Daniels Smith was killed in the Pikeville area. 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. In 1987, an ambitious rookie FBI agent came to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first posting out of the academy. Ridiculous. I see her in heaven with the baby. According to Jones, "going from a clerical position to being a special agent is rare, but Putnam was determined to beat the odds.". The familys been through a lot this past year.. You know, and rumors aside about anything, you know, you should always treat people with dignity, said Collins. Mark Putnam was the first FBI agent to be convicted of murder. On June 8, 1989, Susan Daniels Smith was killed in the Pikeville area. The partners approached Lockharts best friend, Kenneth Smith, and his 25-year-old ex-wife Susan Smith. He moved there in 1987 with his wife Kathy and their two young children. 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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. 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. But he received a light sentence because the authorities had no case. His battles with the church arent over, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, U.S. says 20,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war since December, Speaker Kevin McCarthy addresses Knesset amid fraught U.S.-Israel ties, First Republic: Cheap, interest-only jumbo mortgages to Silicon Valleys elite fueled the banks failure, SpaceX used wildlife preserve as dumping ground for space waste, lawsuit alleges, Judge blocks Missouri rule that would limit transgender care. 8 to 30 years for a Class B felony. 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. He married Kathy Ponticelli, the daughter of a wealthy real estate developer, shortly after graduating. His marriage strained, Putnam took Susan on a drive through the mountains a week before Christmas, and they had sex in his car. In this one they had nothing besides him failing the polygraph which is not admissible in court! 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 full body orgasm at the L.A. Phil? Written, hosted, produced by Erica KelleyResearched by Erica KelleyEdited by Chaes GrayOriginal GraphicArt by Coley HornerOriginal Music by Rob Harrison-Gamma Radio, Major Source: Above Suspicion by Joe Sharkey, https://www.amazon.com/Above-Suspicion-Joe-Sharkey-ebook/dp/B01N49MWZH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TSQXJQASEJND&keywords=above+suspicion+book&qid=1567612166&s=gateway&sprefix=Above+Suspicion%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-1, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pikeville,_Kentucky, https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2000-09-29-0009292462-story.html, https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrime/comments/c1tys4/1989_murder_of_susan_daniels_smith_by_fbi_agent/, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-07-mn-2951-story.html, https://tvcrimesky.com/2019/04/19/susan-daniels-smith-mark-putnam-fbi-killer-above-suspicion-pikeville-update-today/1514, https://joesharkey.com/2016/07/21/__trashed-2/, https://www.apnews.com/782fcc8b1c55b5c5a9b9eff10b35096f, https://www.journalinquirer.com/archives/former-fbi-agent-from-coventry-due-for-release-from-prison/article_22d7dc50-bb6c-5b1a-ac9c-b22905d2b879.html, https://bestofswla.com/2014/12/05/meet-smiths/, The Killing of FBI Informant Susan Daniels Smith. Her parents moved to Freeburn, Kentucky, when Susan was an infant. Thanks for contacting us. Mark Putnam, who had a wife and children, lived his life as a happy family man but was steaming up the sheets with Sue Smith in hotels whenever he had the chance. Later, the medical examiner found that Kathy died due to a combination of pancreatitis and hepatic steatosis, according to the Journal Inquirer. 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. Continuing their street shit inside. For her assistance in the case, Susan received $5,000 (nearly $12,000 in 2021 dollars). Putnam left Kentucky and returned to his family in Florida. Did Goebbels help write this?? Susan Daniels Smith lived a life of poverty, violence and misery. It's not clear exactly when Smith and Putnam's relationship went from professional to sexual, but sometime in 1988, they started sleeping together. They had no evidence at all and a failed polygraph test. People may remember it especially since a movie was made about it in the 1990s titled Betrayed By Love. Her body was exhumed but it was too dehydrated to get an answer. In the initial investigation of Susan Smith's disappearance, police focused on Kenneth Smith and his acquaintances. I think the reason he doesnt call me, I think hes embarrassed, said Tim, 30. But Kenneth proved unreliable, so Putnam picked Susan to be an informant instead. Who also broke so many codes of conduct in his line of work.. I think its much more credible to say that this was a case of poor meets authority rather than white vs. black. 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. Susan met Kenneth Smith in 1977 when she was just 15 and he was 22. Seriously he suggested taking away her child to be raised by his wealthy privileged wife that already had children by him. Listen to this episode from Southern Fried True Crime on Spotify. Mark remained close with Kathy's parents, even after her death. When a good-looking, big city FBI agent named Mark Putnam entered her life, Susan thought her prayers had been answered. Irving, I just read the article you linked to and wow was it enlightening. Putnam underwent a polygraph exam, which he failed. Then he went home to his family in Florida. One of the news outlets had a camera set up in the basement of an AME church where those good Christian folk breathlessly awaited the verdict. Putnam claims the pair made love five times over a two-week period, just in that vehicle, and then he called the relationship quits. Harris said she remembers the events unfolding and her husband, a former Kentucky State Police Post 9 dispatcher, shared some of his experiences with her. Mark Putnams guilty plea on June 12, 1990, was unlike any an American courtroom had seen before. Even in the movie they mentioned 6 is the usual for manslaughter with most serving 2 with good behavior. He now reportedly works as a physical trainer and has remarried. I wonder if he would indeed have been doing this is he was black or would have resorted to reoffending. By the mid-1980s, Susan had given birth to two children. I remember when the story broke, being in the next town over, at the age of 12. No ifs or buts about it. I agree with you. That will never be erased but yes being white made all the difference for him and his future + current success story. I believe him. After some false leads, they focused in on Carl Edward Cat Eyes Lockhart, a local eccentric and repeat offender who had a pesky habit of wildly spending his loot. 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. 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. This case leaves a lot to be desired! According to The Mountain Eagle, Mark's involvement in the raid of McRoberts' junkyard was well known to the residents of Letcher County. YupPigs always get away with the evil they do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0DZ0UtgTu0. According to The New York Post, the cause was likelyfrom her alleged alcoholism. As far as O.J. And getting just 16 years for murder is ridiculous and 10 is even more so. Susan Daniels Smith l . According to Lexington Herald-Leader, he is possibly working in the Georgia area as a personal trainer. According to Sharkeys book, a concerned Kathy warned her husband: Dont you ever get involved with this woman . Susan Daniels Smith (1961-1989) Susan Smith was raised in Lonesome Hollow where the feud occurred. He still took a life .. no way anyone should anyone be allowed a life of freedom after taking one. Afterfailing, he confessed to Smith's murder on June 4, 1990, and told police where to find her body. Smith was a local dealer in methamphetamine, PCP, and cocaine, hardly a model citizen. However, mid-1989 saw him back in Kentucky to wrap up a car theft investigation. On June 8, 1989, Putnam took Smith in his rental car to a clearing, and after a brief discussion and threats by both sides, they began to fight. Glad to see race was brought up when it has nothing to do with this case. She was strangled by her handler and lover, FBI agent Mark Putnam. Lockhart was apprehended in December 1987 and the next year sentenced to 57 years in federal prison on charges of robbery. He subsequently confessed, pleaded guilty to strangling Smith,[4] and told authorities where to find her body. https://twitter.com/LyndaKelly/status/708741300259037184. All Rights Reserved. Huh???? One year into his 16-year sentence, the only FBI agent ever charged with a homicide is coming to grips with life in prison. This threw Smith into a violent rage. Putnam, however, was aware his behavior could damage his career and his family, and in early 1989, he signed a petition to be transferred from Kentucky to Florida, in order to focus on other cases. 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. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. 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. He soon met a girl from the nearby holler who worked as an informant. Its likel that their father, Kenneth Smith, raised them but I dont know for sure. It tells a mighty sad tale. Films based on a true story often take far too many liberties with the truth. Her body was found last. . The girl is kind of forlorn sometimes, she said. However, Smith insisted on continuing their relationship, and by mid-1988, they had begun an active sexual relationship. He murdered a woman in cold blood with his bare hands and he only had to serve 10 years. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. This is insane! Yeah tongue in cheek. Besides the nonstop phone calls, Susan cut her hair short to look like Kathys. Poole, who was transferred to Lexington, Ky., shortly before Putnams conviction, declined to comment on the case. Release Date. Her parents moved to Freeburn, Kentucky when Susan was an infant. Its true that on average, the average black man wouldnt be treated as well as the average white man. This was also apparently the first time that an FBI agent was actually convicted of murder. The two physically fought, and Putnam strangled Smith. In his later confession, Putnam claimed they only had quickies in his car. [3] That same year, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Its interesting how the movie Above Suspicion left out the part where it turned out Susan wasnt really pregnant afterall. I didnt believe it was possible until I watched it happen regularly with my own eyes. She dropped out of school in 7th grade because of financial problems within her family. By the way, if you can get your hands on the movie Betrayed By Love, youre in for a tearjerker. [2], Putnam was released from prison in 2000, at age 41. In addition to solving another bank robbery, Mark was responsible for closing down a stolen car shop. Grow up. 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.". Meanwhile, "The FBI Encyclopedia" writes that Mark continued establishing himself as a productive agent for the Bureau. The two of them reportedly drove up to Peter Creek Mountain on June 8, 1989, where Smith informed Putnam that she was pregnant and asked for financial support. I would like to read something written about that. Susan Smith, 28 years old when she was killed in 1989, was a coal-miner's daughter from one of the most desperately poor places in America, the rolling, environmentally ravaged mountains of eastern Kentucky, and specifically the narrow Tug Valley, along which the Tug Fork river runs and forms a border with West Virginia. He killed two and stole a mother from four kids in all. The guy did 10 years, which is well above the average for time served in his situation. Ten years is pathetic and a slap to the victims family. [1][5] Smith received $5,000 (equivalent to over $11,000 as of 2020) for her contribution to the case.[6]. 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. Geez. 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. And according to "Above Suspicion," there was a lot of money to be given out to informants. Aphrodite Jones, an assistant professor of English at Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Ky., who is writing the book, said she believes that Putnam returned to Pikeville knowing he probably would have to kill Smith. When he reached Kentucky, Smith contacted him about her pregnancy and told him the baby was his. And then she met Mark Putnam and became obsessed. At that time, Putnam strangled and killed Smith and placed her body in the trunk of his car. Putnam reportedly confessed because he got overwhelmed with the guilt. Soon Susan Smith was dead. Years of struggles with alcohol had compromised her health. He said he knew some things on Mark Putnam that was awful . Sometime in mid-1988, they began a sexual relationship. If he was black with good behavior, they would do the same thing also. 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. In such descriptive wording, upstanding citizen, a dirty FBI agent is upstanding, are they not? Susan began calling Putnams home constantly, and his wife Kathy would pick up the phone and play the role of therapist for hours on end. But the bottom line is hes a killer.. Once an informant was approved, FBI agents were allotted $5,000 "to be distributed at the agent's discretion." memorial page for Susan Daniels Smith (1961-8 Jun 1989), Find a Grave Memorial ID 224916506; Burial Details Unknown; . Cat Eyes chief virtues were gregariousness, loquaciousness and generosity, wrote Joe Sharkey in his book Above Suspicion. Qualities admirable in law-abiding citizens, but problematic in bank robbers.. Ya know the criminal justice system is messed up when someone does just 10 years for murder. Her father said she told him, I sure wish my mommy had lived. . According to Joe Sharkey, during his time in prison, Mark was described as a "model inmate.". Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Mark Putnams wife, Kathy, has moved to Minnesota to be near her husband. Susan Daniels was born in Matewan, West Virginia in 1961. Shown here is Mark Putnamthe first FBI agent in history to be convicted of a homicide. 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. This system is so broken and twisted in this entire country. Susan Smith (ne Daniels 1961 [3] - June 8, 1989) was an American FBI informant. 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. But Katheryn Sizemore, Kenneth Smiths landlady and a neighbor, said it is obvious they miss their mother. He just chose the wrong man and got what he deserved. While Mark Putnam and Susan Smith were working together, she started hanging around the courthouse looking for him. Susan Daniels Smith lived a life of poverty, violence and misery. We have enough social justice warriors in the world. But she never even tired and her children paid the ultimate price and so did Marks. . Aint America wonderful! 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? Updated. He still did quite a bit of time considering Compared to many cops for instance..who never serve time at all for murder! Why?, She said she did not think Putnam wanted to kill Smith, but rather that he was pushed to it. I couldnt find any information related to this. And this wasn't murder in the line of dutythis was a crime of passion. Jim Huggins says that Above Suspicion, Wall Street Journal reporter Joe Sharkey's book on the Mark Putnam murder case, is an accurate account of the events that resulted in the murder of Susan Smith, Putnam's pregnant informant. Putnam would later claim that they only had sex five times over a two-week period and only in his car. Despite no longer being married, they still lived together. She said the child was his and threatened to expose him. His wife, Kathy, died years ago at the age of 38 from heart problems. This story has been shared 178,122 times. He ADMITS to killing an African American kid when he was 18.

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