| Mark Putnam / Susan Daniels Smith Case Analysis |
All opinions based on Dr. Todd Grande's analysis.
Reviewed by:
Emmaline, Aiman, Sarah and Elise
While I am not surprised by the outcome of his case, I am bewildered as to what brought him to confess. As Grande put it, it was his dream to be an FBI agent, and the number one rule of working for the organization is to not put yourself in compromising situations, which Putnam did the exact opposite. I think in his case, Putnam was driven to a confession by his own piled up guilt, typically when it comes to a one-time killer, they are still able to feel remorse for the victim rather than the habits of a psychopath.
In terms of the disposal of Susan’s body, I am curious as to why she was dumped naked, seems unnecessary. Like Putnam, he thrived off excitement, and living in a tiny town did not suit his desires; I believe everyone has the capabilities to kill another person, especially those who work close with the law and are able to be coerced. But, for Putnam, I disagree with his charge of manslaughter. It takes time and strength to strangle someone, and although one could make the case that he was “in the moment and full of adrenaline,” his aggression cannot be considered accidental force. The only people successful in this case were the attorneys.
All in all, I think the only reason Mark confessed was because of his sense of guilt. Yes, Dr. Grande makes an excellent point of that being a questionable conclusion because he tried to get his sentence reduced, but I think that Mark, in accordance with common human behaviour, believed that just receiving a sentence, big or small, consequential or inconsequential, would absolve him of all responsibility of murder, which in itself is a very diminishing way of looking at it, especially for a FBI agent.
The main point of this case seems to be that Mark confessed at all. He was under no obligation to do so; the investigating officers had next to nothing on him. It was possible that Susan’s body would be found and he would have been forced to serve a longer, more cruel sentence, but the likelihood of that happening seemed low. I suppose it’s possible that Mark felt immense guilt at having killed someone he may have previously loved alongside his unborn child. We do not know - as far as I’m aware - if Susan was actually found to have been pregnant. If she had, that would certainly have contributed to any guilt Mark may have felt.
Another curious point is that he and Cathy stayed together. Cathy did become an alcoholic, but she never remarried. I would be curious to know if she was a heavy drinker before Mark went to prison, or if her drinking was a consequence of this. Maybe she couldn’t deal with the guilt she may have felt because she was not devastated at the death of her husband’s mistress.
I found it quite chilling that Putnam used his knowledge of law enforcement to reduce his sentence. It is scary to think that some criminals are out of jail because they managed to use their knowledge to alleviate their sentence. Additionally, I am curious as to why his wife stayed loyal just like Dr. Grande stated in his video. Adding on to that, I was very surprised at Putnam’s confession. In fact I wonder if it was guilt that motivated him or something else. I assume it was guilt as he stated that he did not intend on killing Susan. Yet I can’t help but think that he confessed to alleviate his sentence. Altogether, this episode by Dr. Grande was great at nuancing the different sides of the story.
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