Mother gets eight years

By Cindy Landrum  

AUGUST 3, 2010 4:01 p.m. (2)

Devon Epps was 7 when he was strangled to death late one night in August 2007.

On Tuesday, his mother, Amanda Raegan Smith, was sentenced to 8 years in prison in connection with his death.

Smith entered an Alford plea to involuntary manslaughter and obstruction of justice. In an Alford plea, Smith maintained her innocence but conceded it was likely a jury would convict her of the charges.

Smith, 29,  has been jailed since Nov. 5, 2007. She was originally charged with murder.

Prosecutors had alleged she strangled her son and made up a story about a knife-wielding carjacker smothering the boy with a pillow to cover up the crime.

Smith did not speak during the hearing other than to answer questions from Judge Ned Miller.

Miller sentenced Smith to five years on the involuntary manslaughter charge and three years for obstruction of justice. The sentences will run consecutively. Smith will get credit for the time she’s spent in jail since her arrest.

Prosecutor Cheryl Aaron told the court Smith called Greenville County 911 about 10:30 p.m., told dispatchers she thought her son was dead and reported an apparent carjacking attempt.

When emergency responders got to the scene at the intersection of Jacobs Road and a frontage road near Interstate 85 and White Horse Road, they found Smith standing at the rear of the car and Epps lying on the ground on his stomach, Aaron said.

Smith told investigators a man entered her car on the passenger side, sat on her son, Aaron said. Smith told investigators the man locked the doors and strangled Epps while holding a knife.

The man then fled without taking the car and leaving a live witness, Aaron said.

Investigators found inconsistencies in Smith’s story, Aaron said. Smith told investigators the incident happened minutes before EMS arrived, while an autopsy found the boy’s body had been on the ground for at least 30 minutes.

No evidence was found indicating anybody else was at the scene other than Smith and Epps.

“We believe the child’s death was caused by the actions of the defendant,” Aaron said.

Patricia Epps, Devon’s grandmother, spoke on behalf of the family. She said her son, David, Devon Epps’ father, couldn’t be in the courtroom because “it makes him sick to think about what happened.”

“You may have taken our Devon from us, but you can’t take our memories,” she said, asking Miller to sentence Smith to the  maximum for “this God-awful crime.”

Public Defender John Mauldin said he agreed with his client’s decision to enter an Alford plea because it would be difficult to prove she didn’t do it and the death of an innocent child heightened emotions in the case.

“Amanda has maintained her innocence from the moment of the 911 call,” Mauldin said. “That never has wavered.”

After the sentencing, a cousin of Devon Epps’ father, David, who was not at the courthouse, shouted his displeasure with the sentence as he left the courthouse, “How do you get 8 years for killing your kid when people get longer than that for fighting dogs?”

Comments

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K Wilson   |2010-08-04 16:38:30 This very light sentence will no doubt entice similar situations to go down the same road. The Judge says he's not concerned about public outcry, the sentence stands. Is this the same Judge that sentenced John Ludwig? The judicial system in Greenville county is severly broken. Reply

Gavin  - WHAT???   |2010-08-09 14:00:40 I'm wondering why on the scdc site does her projected release date say Sept 2012? She will only do 2 more years for this crime...OMG Reply

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