The ex-husband of Susan Smith, the South Carolina woman who drowned their two young sons in 1994, expressed relief that “justice” had prevailed after she was denied parole on Wednesday.

“For two more years, there will still be justice for Michael and Alex,” David Smith said after the hearing held by the state’s Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services.

Smith saw her bid for freedom evaporate despite a tearful plea of remorse before the board. She will remain behind bars for at least another two years.

For the first time since she was incarcerated three decades ago, Smith was overcome with emotion as she tried to convince them that had regretted her actions. “I know what I did was horrible,” Smith said to the board through a flood of tears. “I didn’t know how to tell David he couldn’t see his sons again.”

She told the board she was sorry for her actions and that even though it “just sounds like words,” they come from her heart. “I wish I could take that back, I really do. I didn’t lie to get away with it,” Smith, 53, said. “I was just scared. I didn’t know how to tell the people that love them that they’d never see them again.”

“I am a Christian, and God is a big part of my life. I know that he has forgiven me.” She added before asking the parole board to “show that same kind of mercy.”

The board asked Smith pointed questions regarding infractions while serving her sentence, including the use of drugs. She replied by saying that she does not have any issues with drugs or alcohol.

“What do you think is the most important thing you have learned while you’ve been incarcerated,” asked one board member.

“That people are important. That forgiveness and love, that family is important. The decisions we make don’t just affect us. They affect the people we love. Not to take things or people for granted,” Smith replied.

The parole board voted unanimously to deny Smith’s request for parole, except for one board member who recused herself because she once served as a warden where the convicted murderer was once held. Their decision came almost instantly after her ex-husband, David Smith, pleaded to the board not to release his ex-wife.

“It’s been a tough 30 years,” Mr. Smith said during the hearing before referencing his two children, three-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander.  “God gives us free choice and she made a free choice that night to end their life.”

“That’s only 15 years per child. That’s not enough. I will be here every 2 years going forward to ensure their death doesn’t go in vain.”

Mr. Smith had gotten emotional during his testimony.

“This wasn’t a tragic mistake. She purposely meant to end their life,” he said, “I’ve never felt any remorse from her for it.”

“She came pretty close to causing me to end my life because of the grief that she brought upon me,” David Smith said.

In the fall of 1994, Smith, who was 23 at the time, intentionally drove her car into John D. Long Lake near her family’s home in Union County, South Carolina, with her two young sons strapped inside and then told local authorities that her car was abducted by an unidentified black man. 

The incident sparked a nationwide search for her children over the next nine days until she finally confessed to her crimes. She had allegedly plotted the murders in an attempt to win back  Tom Findlay, who had sent her a letter ending their relationship because he did not want children.

While in prison, Smith was less than a model inmate. In 2000, two correctional officers were arrested and charged after having sex with Smith while she was incarcerated at the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution. She was then transferred to another prison.