Eric M. Smith (born January 22, 1980) is an American murderer who, at the age of thirteen, sexually abused and murdered four-year-old Derrick Joseph Robie (October 2, 1988 – August 2, 1993), in Savona, New York, on August 2, 1993. Smith was convicted of

second-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excus ...

on August 16, 1994 and sentenced to the maximum term then available for juvenile murderers: nine years to

life in prison Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...

. Smith was granted parole in October 2021, after 27 years in prison. He was officially released from prison on February 1, 2022.

Murder

On August 2, 1993, when Eric Smith was thirteen years old, he was riding his bike to summer camp in a local park

day camp Day camps also known as summer camps in some areas, are recreational programs designed to provide children with a fun and enriching experience during the summer or school breaks. Unlike residential or overnight camps, day camps operate during day ...

. Four-year-old Derrick Robie was walking alone to that same camp. Smith saw Robie and lured him into a nearby wooded area. There, Smith strangled him until he passed out, then, he dropped a large rock on his head, and sodomized him with a small stick. Smith then took

Kool-Aid Kool-Aid is an American brand of flavored drink mix owned by Kraft Heinz based in Chicago, Illinois. The powder form was created by Edwin Perkins in 1927 based upon a liquid concentrate named Fruit Smack. History Kool-Aid was invented by E ...

from Robie's lunch box and poured it into Robie's open wounds. The cause of death was determined to be blunt trauma to the head with contributing asphyxia. At around 11:00 a.m., Robie's mother went to the park to pick up her son, only to find that Robie had never arrived. After four hours of investigation, Robie's body was found. On August 8, 1993, Smith confessed to his mother that he killed Robie. The Smith family informed law enforcement later that night. The murder case made national headlines in the United States, largely because of the ages of the killer (13) and his victim (4). Smith was

tried as an adult Trial as an adult is a situation in which a juvenile offender is tried as if they were an adult, whereby they may receive a longer or more serious sentence than would otherwise be possible if they were charged as a juvenile. While there are spe ...

, making him the youngest murder defendant tried as an adult in New York state history. He was subjected to extensive medical testing from specialists on both sides. They examined brain function, hormone levels and found nothing to explain his violent behavior. According to court documents, Smith was a loner who was often tormented by bullies for his protruding low-set ears, thick glasses, red hair and freckles. A defense psychiatrist testified to diagnosing Smith with

intermittent explosive disorder Intermittent explosive disorder (IED), or episodic dyscontrol syndrome (EDS), is a mental disorder characterized by explosive outbursts of anger or violence, often to the point of rage, that are disproportionate to the situation (e.g., impulsive ...

. However, the prosecution's expert said the disorder was rarely seen at Smith's age. He was diagnosed with

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...

instead. He was also diagnosed with depression.

Conviction and incarceration

On August 16, 1994, Smith was convicted of

. On November 7, 1994, he was sentenced to the maximum term then available for juvenile murderers: a minimum of nine years to life in prison. Smith was held at Brookwood Secure Center in

Claverack, New York Claverack is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 6,058 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Results, Claverack town, Columbia County, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/claverackt ...

, a maximum security prison for juvenile inmates aged 13–17, for three years, and he was then transferred to an open prison for young adults. In 2001, he was transferred to the

Clinton Correctional Facility Clinton Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision maximum security state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. The prison is sometimes colloquially referred to as Danne ...

in Dannemora, New York, a maximum security prison. On May 3, 2016, the NYS Department of Corrections website showed him incarcerated at

Collins Correctional Facility Collins Correctional Facility is a medium security prison in Collins, New York in the United States., ''Webcitation.org'' from the original at ''Geocities.com'', November 1999, Retrieved 18 March 2014., ''PrisonTalk.com'', 9 October 2004, Retriev ...

, a medium security prison for male inmates in

Erie County, New York Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York (state), New York State. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 954,236. However, in the 2023 census, the Erie County population was 946,147 ...

. On April 26, 2019, he was listed as incarcerated at

Gowanda Correctional Facility The Gowanda Correctional Facility was a medium-security prison for men located in Gowanda, New York, United States., ''Webcitation.org'' from the original at ''Geocities.com'', November 1999, Retrieved 18 March 2014., ''PrisonTalk.com'', 9 Oc ...

, a medium security prison which is co-located with Collins Correctional Facility. On November 30, 2019, he was listed as incarcerated at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility, a medium security prison in Sullivan County. Smith was denied parole ten times from June 2002 to January 2020. After the 2012 hearing, the parole board cited a concern for public safety in its decision, in addition to the opposition of Robie's parents to his release. At that hearing, he told a parole board he would not return to Savona if released, and would go to a shelter or halfway house instead. In October 2021, Smith was granted parole after 27 years of incarceration. In that parole hearing, he revealed that he was engaged to a lawyer since 2019. He was scheduled to be released on November 17, 2021, but this was delayed due to Smith not having an approved residence. He was ultimately released from prison on February 1, 2022. On April 16, 2025, Smith was discharged from parole supervision.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Eric 1980 births 1993 murders in the United States 20th-century American criminals American kidnappers American male criminals American murderers of children American people convicted of murder American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment American rapists American torturers Crime in New York (state) Criminals from New York (state) Incidents of violence against boys Living people Male murderers Minors convicted of murder Murder committed by minors People convicted of murder by New York (state) People from Steuben County, New York People paroled from life sentence People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Violence against children Violence against men in the United States

Murder

Conviction and incarceration

See also

References

External links