Eric Smith
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Eric Smith is now incarcerated for the murder and mutilation of four-year-old Derrick Robie when he was only thirteen years old in August 1993. Before Robie was strangled, battered with rocks, and sodomized with a stick, Smith had killed a cat with a garden hose, indicating his problems began at a very young age. While in jail, he wrote an apology letter, allegedly entirely by his own will, and he read it on public television to console family members of Robie. Taken from a 48 Hours Mystery episode: "I know my actions have caused a terrible loss in the Robie family, and for that I am truly sorry. I've tried to think as much as possible about what Derrick will never experience: his 16th birthday, Christmas, anytime, owning his own house, graduating, going to college, getting married, his first child. If I could go back in time, I would switch places with Derrick and endure all the pain I've caused him. If it meant that he would go on living, I'd switch places, but I can't." He has been denied parole twice and has been said to not see another chance until 2006.
