Search results
- After keeping a clean disciplinary record since 2005 and undergoing years of therapy, Eric was granted parole in October 2021 on his eleventh attempt. After a slight delay, he was released from prison in February 2022. Now 42 years old, Eric would be under supervision for the rest of his life and has to check in with his parole officer regularly.
thecinemaholic.com/where-is-eric-smith-now/Eric Smith Now: Where is Derrick Robie's Killer Today? Update
People also ask
Who is Eric Smith?
What happened to Eric Smith?
How old was Eric Smith when he murdered a child?
Did Eric Smith kill Derrick Robie?
Apr 14, 2023 · Learn more about Eric Smith, who was 13 when he murdered 4-year-old Derrick Robie in the small village of Savona, New York, and is now 43 and free on parole.
- Benjamin Bullard
- 3 min
- Born Jan. 22, 1980 in Steuben County, New York — the same rural area where the Robie family made their home — Eric M. Smith grew up in Savona and r...
- At age 13, Smith convinced 4-year-old Derrick Robie to follow him on a supposed shortcut to reach Derrick’s destination at the local park. But inst...
- Now 43, Smith reportedly resides in the New York City borough of Queens, nearly 300 miles southeast of the small Savona village where he was raised...
May 4, 2023 · Eric Smith, who spent 28 years behind bars for the 1993 murder of 4-year-old Derrick Robie, was released from prison in February 2022. "48 Hours" takes a look back at the notorious case:...
- Overview
- AN UNTHINKABLE CRIME
- A SUSPECT IN PLAIN SIGHT
- WHY DID ERIC KILL?
- EVERY TWO YEARS …
- A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS
This story originally aired on March 26, 2022.
For almost three decades, Doreen and Dale Robie have lived with the anguish of that day in 1993 when they learned their adored little boy had been lured into the woods, strangled, and beaten with rocks. If that wasn't horrific enough, his killer was a red-headed, freckle-faced child.
"48 Hours" has been covering the case since Eric Smith, 13, was charged with killing 4-year-old Derrick Robie. Smith was tried as an adult and convicted of second-degree murder.
Smith's sentence was nine years to life. But it would also be a life sentence for the Robies once Smith became eligible for parole in 2002. "They could decide that well, now he's done his time and we're going to let him go," Doreen Robie told "48 Hours" contributor Jim Axelrod.
The news the Robies had been dreading came after Eric Smith's 11th appearance before the board — when he was finally granted parole. Smith told WENY-TV in 2009 he had big plans for his future. "I want to get married and raise a family," Smith said. "Pursue the American dream."
John Tunney, who prosecuted Smith's case, says it's too early to know if that will happen.
After being locked up for 28 years, Eric Smith – who murdered a child as a teen– is free. He's out on parole in Queens, New York. Smith insists he's a changed man deserving of freedom; that he has a plan for a fresh start, even a fiancée. But others worry that Eric Smith is still a flat-out threat.
Dale and Doreen Robie feared this day would come. Our story begins with them.
On August 2, 1993, the body of Derrick Robie was found in a small patch of woods midway between the park where he was headed and his home.
John Tunney (2004): It's hard to comprehend somebody doing what Eric Smith did.
John Tunney: He chose to end Derrick Robie's life. And he chose to do it in a way that was much more than just killing.
Prosecutor John Tunney vividly remembers the crime scene and the brutality of the murder.
John Tunney: He could have simply killed Derrick, but he chose not to simply kill Derrick.
Investigator Charles Wood (at the crime scene in 2004): Directly behind us is the scene where the homicide occurred.
Steuben County Courthouse | August 1994
The trial of the people vs. Eric Smith is finally under way.
Prosecuting attorney John Tunney:
In New York State, murder is the one crime for which a 13-year-old can be tried in adult court.
Dan Rather: You're a father of five.
John Tunney: That's correct.
Jim Axelrod: The Robies, they're serving a life sentence.
Joni Johnston: Uh-huh (affirms). … every time that inmate is up for parole … They relive it. So, it's just a nightmare for them.
Dale Robie: it really felt like it, you know, at a certain point, why do we have to? Wasn't the crime enough?
Jim Axelrod: When Eric Smith was sentenced … was there a sense … "Now we can get on with our lives?"
Dale Robie: You hear the "nine years to life." And I think back then everybody was focusing on the life side of it.
Dale and and Doreen Robie were relieved that the boy who murdered their beloved son was locked away.
Weeks after Eric Smith was granted parole, dozens gathered in Savona to peacefully protest his release.
Dale Robie: They wanted to remember Derrick because all the attention was now on Eric being released. So, they didn't want people to forget, you know.
Doreen Robie: It was very touching.
Many in Savona feared Smith wanted to move back to live with his mother.
Doreen Robie: I wasn't so much worried about us as I was everybody else.
Dale Robie: I just knew where a lot of people in town in the village stood.
Mar 19, 2022 · Where is Eric Smith Now? Eric’s trial took place in 1994, and he was tried as an adult. The defense argued that he had an “intermittent explosive disorder” leading to uncontrollable violent episodes. However, Eric was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to nine years to life in prison.
May 4, 2023 · August 2, 1993, marked a horrific day for small town Savona, New York, when local teenager Eric Smith murdered a 4-year-old boy, Derrick Robie, who lived across town. Early that morning, Smith,...
Eric M. Smith (born January 22, 1980) is an American murderer who, at the age of thirteen, sexually abused and murdered four-year-old Derrick Joseph Robie (October 2, 1988 – August 2, 1993), in Steuben County, New York, on August 2, 1993.
Nov 19, 2021 · Holly Soles is one year younger than her brother, Eric Smith — the 41-year-old Steuben County man who’s been in prison since he was 13 for killing 4-year-old Derrick Robie. Smith is now set to be released after 27 years.
