Eric Smith: Gambling on a Killer - Sneak peek | Forensic Files

he was convicted of a monstrous act eric smith has served 28 years for the killing of four-year-old derek roby in
1993. we never forget our boy cause he was you know a wonderful child and we miss
him terribly [Music] yeah a lot of people don't know the full gamma of what we go through
and nor should they right i i wouldn't wish this on anyone it's the first time i've ever let him go anywhere alone and
it was one block down the same side of the street [Music] when you have a family member that has
been murdered [Music] every time that inmate is up for parole you relive i think what happened
there are clearly people who make choices which reflect pure evil in my view this heads the list
the events of that morning of august 2nd 1993 riding through the woods he gave me a kiss and i said i love you
he says i love you mom and he went happen off the sidewalk at some point during the midday i
learned that a child was missing in the village of savona and consequently a search for derek
began late in the afternoon the body of derek roby was found it was just a brutal brutal
killing i've lost my boy you know we've lost him he's gone our instinct was to believe the killer
was some adult evil person [Music] and it's another kid what do you think is going to happen
so you find the defendant guilty of murder in the second degree yes is that unanimous yes
eric smith was sentenced to nine years to life in prison first time before the parole board
denied we knew the first one was coming but then after that we got to do this every two years
for them every two years must have felt like every 10 minutes second time for the panel denied
it upsets me the fact that we have to beg to keep this killer behind bars can you foresee the day when you would say i
don't care whether they might or not no we'll take this pain to our grave 2006 parole denied 2008 parole denied
you can label me a monster a cold-blooded killer a demon child satan incarnate 2010 parole denied 2012
denied i don't care what the name you give me doesn't mean that that's the lion 2014 2016 2018 denied denied denied
i can live in society and function as any other normal individual oh that last sentence was a chilling one
another normal individual boy is that a reach parole granted eric smith who gained national attention
almost three decades ago for killing a four-year-old has been set free in savona there's one
small grocery store on the main street and all i could imagine was doreen roby standing in line
at the checkout line and looking behind her and seeing the person who killed her son

When he was 13 years old, he committed an unthinkable crime. 28 years later, Smith is out on parole. What’s next for him? "48 Hours" contributor Jim Axelrod reports Saturday, May 6 at 9/8c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Eric Smith, convicted of murdering Derek Roby, faces parole after 28 years, causing ongoing pain for Derek's family.

Key points

The Conviction of Eric Smith. Eric Smith was convicted of the brutal murder of four-year-old Derek Roby in 1993.
A Mother's Grief. Doreen Roby shares her pain and loss after her son's murder.
Parole Granted. After nearly three decades, Eric Smith is granted parole, shocking the victim's family.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I've lost my boy, you know, we've lost him.

A mother reflects on her son's murder.

1:56WatchMar 17, 2022

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