Woman who drowned sons in car 30 years ago denied parole

Susan and David Smith addressing reporters in 1994 (Mary Ann Chastain/AP)

A parole board decided unanimously on Wednesday that Susan Smith should remain in prison, despite her plea that God has forgiven her for killing her two young sons 30 years ago by rolling her car into a South Carolina lake while they were strapped in their car seats.

It was the first parole hearing for Smith, 53, who is serving a life sentence after a jury convicted her of murder but decided to spare her the death penalty. Under state law at the time, she is eligible for a parole hearing every two years now that she has spent 30 years behind bars.