Eric Smith was indicted by a grand jury and put on trial as an adult (per CBS News). In 1994, Smith was found guilty of murder and sent to serve a sentence of nine years to life. Smith spent time in a facility for juvenile offenders until he turned 21, when he was transferred to an adult prison. His sentence made him eligible for parole beginning in 2002. He was denied release and had his parole denied an additional 10 times. But in October 2021, Smith was able to convince the parole board that he wasn’t a threat to anyone any longer.
Smith outlined his plans for his life if he were granted parole. He expressed his desire to get a college education and find work in the carpentry or electrical trades. The transcript of the hearing also revealed that Smith had found love behind bars and was engaged to be married to a woman that he had been corresponding with. The woman was studying law and had initially written to Smith to ask him about the juvenile justice system.
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The parole board granted Smith his freedom. They were impressed by Smith’s clean record with prison officials, as well as his post-release plans. This release didn’t happen overnight, however. Smith was housed in prison for several more months before he was allowed to leave.
