Naman Shrestha
In October 1994, Susan Smith reported that she was carjacked, and the individual drove her car away along with her two sons. The incident rocked the community to the core while the investigators launched an extensive search for the perpetrator and the children. However, it was later discovered that Susan had lied about it all and killed her toddlers herself. The episode titled ‘Return to the Lake’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline’ delves deep into her childhood, which included her step-father — Beverly Russell Jr. As it turned out, he indirectly played a critical role in driving Susan to kill her own children.
Beverly Russell Jr. Sexually Molested His Step-Daughter When She Was a Teen
On May 10, 1947, Beverly C. Russell Sr. and Gladys Virginia Lambright Russell gave birth to Beverly Carradine Russell Jr. in Union County, South Carolina. Growing up alongside his sister, Lula Russell, he attended Union High School before pursuing higher education at the University of South Carolina. After graduating with flying colors, he served as a financial advisor at his own firm. Not only was he an active member of the Republican Party, but he also reportedly owned about a dozen Jackson Hewitt Tax offices in the Upstate.
By 1979, Beverly was reportedly a divorced father of three children and had become an integral member of South Carolina’s Republican Party and the Christian Coalition. In the same year, he married Linda Harrison Russell, who had a daughter of her own — Susan Smith. As per reports, when Susan was 15 years old, Beverly sexually molested her by groping and kissing her when she was on his lap to go to sleep one evening. When Linda confronted him about it, he reportedly did not deny the allegations and moved out of her house. However, another instance of abuse was reported by Susan in February 1988, but she and Linda decided against pressing charges.
As per the claims of both Beverly and Susan, the molestations had allegedly turned into an extra-marital affair between the two that continued allegedly until early 1994. Six months after their sexual relations came to an end, Susan drowned her two sons, Michael and Alexander, by strapping them to her car’s backseat and driving it into John D. Long Lake in South Carolina. Not long after, Beverly’s sexual relations and affair with Susan became public knowledge, after which he released a statement: “I am responsible for and ashamed of what happened. I appreciate the fact that some of my friends and family have tried to speak up in my defense. But they don’t know what I did. I am finally getting the professional help that I need.”
Beverly Russell Jr. Passed Away a Couple of Decades After Susan Smith’s Sentencing
In 1995, Susan Smith was tried for murdering her two sons on October 25, 1994. During her trial, Beverly was one of the relatives who testified for the defense. After he took the stand, he acknowledged his possible guilt in the deaths of the two toddlers as he played a role in deteriorating her mental state through his sexual abuse. Not only did he admit that he sexually molested his stepdaughter when she was a teenager, but he also requested the jury not to sentence her to death. He read from a letter he sent to Susan while she was in prison: “My heart breaks for what I’ve done to you, for your pain and your loss.” He added, “Had I known what the result of my sin would be, I would have mustered the strength to behave according to my responsibility.”
Claiming that he misinterpreted Susan’s need for love with sex, he said, “All you needed from me was the right kind of love.” His appeal had some kind of impact on the jury as the killer avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years. After the entire ordeal, he seemingly led a life away from the spotlight with his wife, Lisa Snyder Russell, and his children, including three daughters, Holley Abee, Lori Damron, and Tami Alman; a son named John Matthew Russell; and three stepsons, Chad Palmer, Ryan Palmer, and Alex Palmer. At the age of 70, Beverly Russell Jr. passed away at his residence in Roebuck, South Carolina, on April 4, 2018.
Read More: Susan Smith: Where is the Killer Mom Now?
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