Eric Smith (murderer) - Conviction and Incarceration

Conviction and Incarceration

On August 16, 1994, Smith was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to the maximum term then available for juvenile murderers — a minimum of nine years to life in prison. While in jail, Smith wrote an apology letter to Robie's family; he read it on public television: "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." At the end of this statement, Smith states that he cannot bear the thought of "walls, razor wire, and steel metal bars" for the rest of his life. He has also apologized to Derrick Robie in interviews.

Smith has been denied parole six times since 2002, most recently in May 2012. The parole board cited a concern for public safety in its decision, and Derrick's parents opposed his release.

Smith is next eligible for parole in April 2014.

In May 2012, he told a parole board he would not return to Savona if released, and instead would go to a shelter or halfway house.

Smith was held in a juvenile facility for three years and was then transferred to an open prison for young adults. In 2001, he was transferred to the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, a maximum security prison. As of October 23, 2012, the NYS Department of Corrections website shows him incarerated at Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility, a medium security prison for male inmates in Saratoga County, New York, USA.