The Killing of Derrick Robie: Eric Smith and the Juvenile Crime That Shook America

dthholland
6 hours ago
5 min read

Three-photo collage: left shows a serious child in glasses wearing a cartoon sweatshirt; center features a smiling boy in suspenders by plants; right is a stern man in front of a height chart.

On 2 August 1993, in the sleepy village of Savona, New York, an act of violence so shocking in its brutality would forever alter the landscape of juvenile justice debates in the United States. The victim was four-year-old Derrick Robie, a cheerful, red-headed boy with a love for nature and baseball. The perpetrator was thirteen-year-old Eric Smith—another redhead, known in the village for his quiet nature and trademark thick glasses.

The murder was incomprehensible not only because of the youth of those involved, but also due to the intimate and senseless brutality of the act. What unfolded that morning left a permanent scar on the Savona community and ignited national discussions about how the justice system should deal with violent offenders who were still, legally speaking, children.

Young boy smiling, wearing a red shirt and patterned headband. He's standing outside with visible time stamp: 2:05 PM, 5/22/92. — Derrick Robie

The Crime: A Chance Encounter With Horror

It was a sunny Monday, and like many children in the village, Derrick Robie was on his way to a local summer camp programme in a park just a few streets from his home. On most days, his mother Doreen walked him there. But that morning, with a line of storms forecasted and the air already thick and muggy, she decided he was old enough to go alone.

Unbeknownst to her, Eric Smith had also decided to head to the park that day. Smith, a loner who was routinely bullied at school for his appearance, had been barred from camp due to behavioural issues, but loitered near the park nonetheless.

When he saw Derrick walking alone, Smith approached the younger boy and offered to show him a shortcut through a wooded lot nearby. Derrick followed.

What happened next was horrifying. Once out of sight from passers-by, 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 from Derrick's lunch box and poured it into Derrick's open wounds. The cause of death was determined to be blunt trauma to the head with contributing asphyxia. Smith then left the scene and returned home.

Man in gray suit holding a framed child's photo stands solemnly next to a woman in glasses and dark outfit. Plain background. — Derrick's Parents

Later that afternoon, with Derrick missing and a storm brewing, the community mobilised a search. It was a neighbour who found Derrick’s body in the woods. Emergency services were called, but it was immediately evident that the child had been brutally murdered.

Investigation and Confession: A Community Turned Inward

At first, suspicion fell nowhere. Savona was a quiet, rural town where crimes of this magnitude simply didn’t happen. But within days, attention began to fall on Eric Smith. His odd behaviour in the aftermath raised red flags—he showed an unusual curiosity about the murder and asked probing questions about how the investigation was unfolding.

What pushed the investigation forward was a family friend who noticed Smith’s behaviour and urged his mother, Tammy Smith, to take him to speak with police. He seemed to enjoy talking about the murder, and at first he denied seeing Derrick, but later confessed, saying:

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry. I killed that little boy.”

Young person with glasses wearing a yellow shirt, sitting indoors. Expression is serious or pensive. Background is dark and minimalistic. — Smith in court

He was calm, even matter-of-fact, as he relayed how and why he had killed Derrick. When asked why he did it, Smith chillingly responded:

“I don’t know. I just wanted to see what it felt like to kill someone.”

Trial and Sentencing: When a Child Is Tried as an Adult

Eric Smith’s confession made headlines across the country. A 13-year-old committing such a brutal crime raised deeply uncomfortable questions for the public and for the legal system.

Although Smith’s age could have placed him in the juvenile justice system, prosecutors chose to try him as an adult—one of the youngest ever in New York State. His defence argued that he suffered from intermittent explosive disorder and had been the target of constant bullying, both of which may have contributed to a psychotic break. They also noted that Smith had no prior criminal history.

But the details of the crime were too gruesome, too deliberate. The jury convicted him of second-degree murder, and in August 1994, he was sentenced to a minimum of nine years to life in prison.

Incarceration and Parole: Nearly Three Decades Behind Bars

Smith spent the first years of his incarceration in juvenile facilities before being transferred to adult prisons as he aged. For years, he was described by prison staff as a model inmate, non-violent, reflective, and involved in educational programmes.

While in jail, Smith read out an apology letter to Derrick's family on public television:

I know my actions have caused a terrible loss in the Robie family, and for that, I am truly sorry. I've tried to think as much as possible about what Derrick will never experience: his 16th birthday, Christmas, anytime, owning his own house, graduating, going to college, getting married, his first child. If I could go back in time, I would switch places with Derrick and endure all the pain I've caused him. If it meant that he would go on living, I'd switch places, but I can't.

At the end of this statement, Smith states that he cannot bear the thought of "walls, razor wire, and steel metal bars" for the rest of his life. He has also apologized to Derrick in interviews.

But parole was another matter entirely. Between 2002 and 2020, Smith was denied parole ten times. Each time, Derrick Robie’s parents appeared before the board, delivering emotional testimonies about the ongoing pain of their loss. They argued that some actions were simply too heinous to ever be forgiven or released.

In 2021, on his eleventh attempt, Eric Smith was finally granted parole. He was 42 years old. The decision caused a renewed wave of public debate—had he served enough time? Was he truly rehabilitated? And was it safe to let him live freely?

Smith was released from prison in February 2022 and resettled in Queens, New York, under lifetime parole supervision. He now works at a law firm and has expressed a desire to counsel troubled youth, hoping to prevent others from making the same mistakes he did.

Bald man with sunglasses poses against height chart, wearing dark clothing with "APR" text. Background shows measurement lines, creates official mood.

Public Response and Legacy

Public opinion has remained divided. While some argue that Smith’s release was a reasonable recognition of his age at the time of the crime and the work he had done in prison, others believe his freedom is a grave injustice to the Robie family.

Derrick’s parents, Doreen and Dale Robie, have been outspoken in their dismay. In interviews, they have described the release as a re-traumatisation and a constant reminder of what was taken from them. They continue to advocate for victims' rights and greater restrictions on parole for violent juvenile offenders.

Eric Smith’s case became one of the most cited examples in debates about juvenile sentencing during the 1990s and early 2000s. It played a part in shaping public and political attitudes towards trying minors as adults—especially in violent cases.

A Case That Still Haunts

More than thirty years later, the murder of Derrick Robie remains one of the most disturbing crimes committed by a juvenile in modern American history. It serves as a cautionary tale about neglect, bullying, and the capacity for violence, even in those so young.

At the heart of the tragedy are two boys whose lives intersected with terrible consequences—one murdered, the other imprisoned, both forever marked by a single act of brutality. The questions it raised about culpability, rehabilitation, and justice, continue to echo today.

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