general | April 29, 2026

Who is child killer Eric Smith? Age, family, crime, documentary Netflix

Eric Smith
Eric Smith

Eric Smith was sentenced to 28 years in prison for the murder of a 4-year-old boy in 1993.

In February, he was released from prison.

In their first comprehensive interview since Smith’s release in “Eric Smith: Gambling on a Killer,” the parents of the murdered kid chat with “48 Hours” and CBS News chief investigative and senior national correspondent Jim Axelrod.

Eric Smith, a local adolescent, murdered Derrick Robie, a 4-year-old boy who lived across town, on August 2, 1993, in small town Savona, New York.

Smith, 13, had seen the child walking alone to a park summer camp early that morning.

Smith enticed the youngster into the woods by offering to show him a shortcut. He strangled Derrick and beat him to death with rocks when they were alone.

After learning that her son had not arrived to the park, Robie filed a missing person report. Several hours later, rescuers discovered Derrick’s body in the woods, just yards from the park.