Posted on Friday, March 25, 2005
Thomas Pope, prosecutor of the Susan Smith child murder case from South Carolina, will speak at Westminster College Wednesday, March 31, at 4 p.m. in the McKelvey Campus Center Theater.
Pope, a solicitor for the 16th Judicial Circuit consisting of York and Union counties in South Carolina, has over 20 years of law enforcement and prosecution experience. He also serves as an instructor for the National College of District Attorneys at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, S.C., and often lectures to State Prosecutors' Associations across the country.
He is most often recognized for his prosecution of Susan Smith, who was convicted of drowning her two children. Pope presented Smith as a cold-blooded killer, who strapped her three-year-old son Michael, and her 14 month-old son Alex in their car seats and rolled the car into a lake. She was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
"The Lawrence County D.A. Matt Mangino is responsible for getting him to come here and speak," said Dr. Deborah Mitchell, assistant professor of English and public relations and coordinator of the event. "We are lucky to have Mr. Pope, and he should present a memorable talk."
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mitchell at (724) 946-7030 or e-mail dmitchel@westminster.edu.
