The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has released a 30-page transcript of a parole hearing, which led to the decision to release convicted killer Eric Smith from Woodbourne Correctional Facility.
The document, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, includes an explanation, an apology and a surprise revelation.
Eric Smith was 13 years old when he killed a 4-year-old boy in Steuben County. The crime against Derrick Robie, who was beaten and sexually assaulted, shook the community of Savona in the summer of 1993.
Smith is now 41. His parole was denied 10 times. Last month, the parole board credited Smith for his “growth and development” in granting him parole after serving a 28-year sentence.
During the hearing, Smith was asked why he killed Robie. He told the parole board he had been constantly bullied as a child.
“When I had seen him, the first thought I had was I want to hurt him,” Smith said.
He was asked, why?
“To take my anger out on him,” Smith responded.
Eric Smith
For years, Derrick Robie’s parents have fought for changes to the state parole system, which requires families of victims to appear every two years once a prisoner becomes eligible for parole, in most cases, to fight a killer’s release.
Smith was asked if he had any words for the parents.
“If they were sitting in front of me right now, I would say that I am sorry,” Smith said, acknowledging the further emotional toll that an apology might bring.
Smith also told the parole board that he is engaged to a lawyer he met while incarcerated.
Twenty-eight years after his brutal crime, Smith’s release from prison is imminent — pending NYSDOCCS approval of housing upon release.
