Was Above Suspicion’s Susan Smith Really Pregnant?

A major factor in Susan Smith’s real-life murder and the one depicted in 2019’s Above Suspicion was the fact that she was pregnant, however, modern reports have theorized that this may not have been the case after all. Above Suspicion tells the true story of Mark Putnam (played by Jack Huston) and Susan Smith (played by Emilia Clarke). After beginning an affair, FBI agent Putnam murdered his informant, Susan Smith, becoming the first FBI agent to ever be convicted of murder.

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The story of Susan Smith’s murder is a sad one, especially with the addition of an unborn child. According to the original story, in the late 1980s, Mark Putnam traveled to Kentucky for a case involving a bank robber. Susan Smith became his informant, and over the next two years, the pair formed an illicit relationship. In 1989, Smith told Putnam that she was pregnant and, after a major fight, Putnam murdered Smith. One year later, he confessed to the crime and led officials to Smith’s body. However, was the big detail of her murder true? Was Smith really pregnant?

Susan Smith May Not Have Been Pregnant

Despite Susan Smith’s claims to Mark Putnam that she was four months pregnant at the time of her death, medical examiners never found a trace of a fetus, even after two examinations. Potentially, this could have something to do with Smith’s body being missing for a year before Putnam released its location. However, this theory isn’t grounded in fact. On the other hand, there is certainly a chance that Smith lied to Putnam and her family members about being pregnant.

Throughout Putnam and Smith’s relationship, Putnam was married with children, while Smith was divorced. Because of his wife and family, Putnam had a major reason to leave his relationship with Smith. Their work together as FBI agent and informant was also complete, so he no longer needed her in a sense. However, Smith did not want Putnam to leave. In this way, it would make sense for her to fabricate a pregnancy to gain leverage over Putnam and convince him to continue their affair.

Though there are a lot of creative liberties taken in the movie Above Suspicion, some things are impossible to know at this point. There is no evidence confirming or denying Smith’s pregnancy claim.

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Why Mark Putnam Really Killed Susan Smith

Although part of the reason Mark Putnam killed Susan Smith in Above Suspicion is, allegedly, because of her pregnancy, a better reason for his crime was Smith’s threat of spilling her secret. When revealing her pregnancy to Putnam, Smith claimed that if he didn’t continue his relationship with her, she would tell his family and work about her pregnancy and their affair, putting his life and career on the line. Whether she truly was pregnant, this threat could certainly be enough of a reason for Putnam to kill Susan Smith.

Though it is likely impossible to know at this point whether Susan Smith was pregnant with Mark Putnam’s child in the summer of 1989, it is clear that to save his reputation, Putnam murdered Smith. Fortunately, Smith’s death was eventually avenged when Putnam was arrested a year later and served 10 years in prison for his crime. Furthermore, in 2019, Above Suspicion, a true crime film adaptation, was released to keep the story of Mark Putnam and Susan Smith alive, so hopefully, her memory will never be forgotten.