It Did Happen Here

Amid new revelations about Susan Smith, a town mourns her sons and braces for the trial

The pilgrims began arriving in Union, South Carolina, almost immediately, pouring in from Florida and Pennsylvania and Alaska. They show up on Main Street, ask directions to the lake and then head out State Highway 49 to the popular fishing area once known as Black Bottom. There they gather near the boat ramp where Susan Smith stood on the night of Oct. 25 and gaze into the perilous depths of John D. Long Lake, speaking in hushed voices and adding their offerings of flowers and toys to the shrines standing at the water's edge. Glen Outlaw Jr., a sheriff's deputy from...

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