Upstate NY Child Killer Released from Prison

This was a case so bizarre and so brutal, the little town where it happened is still living with the after effects nearly thirty years later.

Eric Smith was 13 years old in 1993 when he tortured and murdered four year old Derrick Robie in the Steuben County town of Savona, NY. The details of the murder are extremely gruesome. Without getting too graphic, that August day in 1993, Smith was sent home from camp for bad behavior. Filled with rage while walking home, he spotted four year old Robie and lured him into the woods. That's where the brutal murder took place.

Anyone alive during that time can remember the stone cold face of the red haired boy as he sat in court. He was convicted in 1994 and sentenced to the maximum allowed for a juvenile. He was up for parole several times over the years, but when his 11th bid came up, it was granted. Smith was officially granted parole in October after serving 27 years. However he was not released because there was an issue finding approved housing.

On February 1, 2022 it was announced Smith, who is now 40, was released from prison and will be living in Queens County, NY.

This case was not only notorious all over New York State, but made national news as well, due to the age of both the killer and victim and the brutality involved. Both Dateline NBC and A&E featured stories on Smith over the years.

In interviews over the years Smith has apologized for the murder and contends he is a changed person.