“48 Hours” has been covering the case since 13-year-old Eric Smith was charged with the murder of 4-year-old Derrick Robbie. Smith was tried as an adult and convicted of second-degree murder. Smith was sentenced to nine years to life in prison. But it would also be a life sentence for Robbie when Smith became eligible for parole in 2002. “They could have decided it well, now his time is up and we will let him go,” Dorin Robbie told 48 Hours. ». collaborator Jim Axelrod. The news that Robbie was afraid of came after Eric Smith appeared before the board for the 11th time – when he was finally given the suspension. Smith told WENY-TV in 2009 that he had big plans for his future. “I want to get married and start a family,” Smith said. “Keep up the American dream.” John Tunney, who has been prosecuted in the Smith case, says it is too early to know if this will happen. “At the end of the day, it’s still a small bet,” Axelrod said. “Oh, no, no. It’s a huge bet,” Tuney replied. “This release decision is a high-risk operation, for sure.”

AN INCREDIBLE CRIME

After 28 years of incarceration, Eric Smith – who killed a child as a teenager – is free. Released conditionally in Queens, New York. Smith insists he is a changed man who deserves freedom. that she has a plan for a new beginning, even if she is engaged. Others, however, worry that Eric Smith is still an absolute threat.
Dale and Doreen Robie were afraid that day would come. Our story begins with them. Dan Rather covered the “48 Hours” case when it was first released.

FROM 48 HOURS “” WHY ERIC KILLED “- 1994

In the summer of 1993, Derrick Robbie and his family lived right below this park in the small town of Savona, New York. Dale Robie coached the T-ball. It was Derrick’s son’s favorite toy. Doreen Robie: He would say, “This is for you, Mom.” Good job, Deej! Derrick Robie Robie family Derrick was a boy all the time. Doreen Robie: You know, he was going to put me at home and έκανε he usually did. Dale Robie: He liked it. Derrick also attended a leisure program in the park and Doreen Robie always watched as her son made the short trip. But one August morning, Derrick’s brother was crying and Doreen Robbie had her hands full. Doreen Robie: Dalton was very noisy that morning and Derrick says, “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll go alone. You know, no problem. The kids will probably go on the road.” Derrick was almost 5 years old and knew the route very well. So Doreen Robie let him walk alone. She prepared his lunch and left. Doreen Robie: He gave me a kiss and I said, “I love you” and he said, “I love you, Mom.” Dan Rather: So he has a block – just a square in front of him? Doreen Robie: Mm-hmm (confirms). Dan Rather: There are no roads to cross. Doreen Robie: No. It was a dead end. The first time I let him go anywhere alone. A little while later, as the clouds came in, Doreen felt something almost panic. Doreen Robie: I had a terrible feeling. He started pouring.
Doreen Robie: I swear that was the moment he died. Dan Rather: Do you believe that? Doreen Robbie: Mm-mm. Yes. I – I – I think he was informing me. Dale Robie: Derrick was very close to us. If there was a way to tell us he was leaving, he would have tried. Doreen ran to the park to pick up Derrick. She was told she had never arrived.
Derrick Robie crime scene Steuben County Prosecutor’s Office Nearly five hours later, investigators found Derrick’s body in a small piece of forest, just a few feet from the park and a few hundred feet from his own front door. Derrick had drowned and was stoned to death. Neighbors placed a cross on the spot. Doreen Robie: I lost my boyfriend. We lost him. Left. Dale Robie: The biggest thing I remember was – (for Doreen, too upset to continue) – go ώρα go ahead. Doreen Robie (to Dale): That’s when you told your dad you could not do the things he did to you? The streets of Savona were empty as anxious parents kept their children inside. The immediate allegation was that Derrick Robie’s killer was a stranger from outside the city. This is what Eric Smith’s grandfather believed. Red Wilson: When this terrible thing happened, everyone, including me, thought he was an adult and how could anyone do such a terrible, terrible thing. Eric Smith grew up just across the city and enjoyed spending time with his grandparents, Red and Eddie Wilson. Red Wilson: He always came in and gave us hugs and kisses. Red Wilson: He liked being a comic book, he liked being a clown. Edie Wilson: He definitely wanted to be noticed. Red Wilson: Yes. “He liked being a comic book, he liked being a clown,” Red Wilson said of his grandson Eric Smith. Smith’s bright red hair and freckles made him a bully at school. Video for the family home But Eric’s bright red hair and freckles targeted him at school for years. And as a teenager, he was seen pedaling in the city for hours non-stop; alone. IDENTITY: Why did he do it? CAPTAIN WALTER DELAP: I do not know why he did it. Σα I asked him why he did it. His words, almost literally, were: “I do not know. I just saw this child, this blonde child, and I wanted to hurt him.”

A SUSPECTOR IN GOOD VISION

On August 2, 1993, Derrick Robbie’s body was found in a small piece of forest in the middle between the park where he was heading and his house. John Tunney (2004): It’s hard to understand that someone is doing what Eric Smith did. John Tunney: Chose to end Derrick Robie’s life. And he chose to do it in a way that was not just killing. Prosecutor John Tunney vividly remembers the crime scene and the barbarity of the murder. John Tunney: He could have just killed Derrick, but he chose not to just kill Derrick. Investigator Charles Wood (at the scene of the crime in 2004): Right behind us is the scene of the murder. Charles Wood was the lead researcher. Evidence showed that Derrick was dragged from the sidewalk and strangled. The identity of the killer was still unknown. Researcher Charles Wood: Well, then he discovered and dug a very large rock and a smaller rock and hit Derrick with those rocks. He got into Derrick’s bag, broke a banana and took Derrick’s Kool-Aid, and actually poured that Kool-Aid into the wounds inflicted by the big rocks. And we sodomized Derrick with a small stick he had found. The banana, left, and an empty can of Derrick Robie’s lunch bag were found at the crime scene. Evidence Finally, the killer arranged Derrick’s body. Charles Wood: The left sneaker was removed and was near Derrick’s right hand. And the sneaker’s right hand had been removed and was near Derrick’s left hand. Charles Wood: It almost felt like the body was posing in this position. John Tunney: Eric kept doing Derrick’s body because he wanted to, because he chose it, and, most terribly, because he enjoyed it. The word “pleasure”, so annoying in this context, would appear over and over again during research. The first time was four days after the murder, when Eric Smith entered the police headquarters to see if he could help solve the crime. John Hibsch: I really enjoyed it. I absolutely enjoyed it. I did not want it to end. John Hibsch and other investigators spoke repeatedly with Eric Smith and had no idea that the killer was sitting right in front of them. John Hibsch: I mean, he looks at me well, he is – you know, he’s kind of hunched over and he’s very, very optimistic, very happy. He likes the fact that they talk to him. At first, Eric denied seeing Derrick Robbie, but then abruptly changed his story. John Hibsch: He says, “Right across from the open field. And there I saw Derrick.” And when he said that, he threw me off the chair. Eric Smith told investigators what Derrick Robbie was wearing and described the lunch bag he was carrying as “cool, really.” Evidence John Hibsch: It puts him right at the top of the crime scene. All you have to do is walk across an open field and – and you are at the scene of the murder. So we asked him what he was wearing and he continued. He said he was wearing a white T-shirt and had this lunch bag in his hand. “Okay, tell me about the lunch bag.” And he said, “It was kind of nice, really.” Investigators pressed Eric to locate where he last saw Derrick. John Hibsch: And – and it was – he started to get excited. His voice began to crack. He lowers his head and raises his fists. And his fists vibrated a little. And he says, “You think I killed him, don’t you?” I saw from the other two researchers that it was like, “Wow”. Eric asked to take a break and his father brought him a glass of Kool-Aid. John Hibbs: Just as we got back to the subject of what Derrick had seen before, he – grabs the red Kool-Aid and throws it on the ground. John Hibsch: Now we all knew that Derrick, the boy who was killed, had red …