Eastern Kentucky is about as far from the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas and Hollywood as you can get. But that’s where this week’s case takes us. From last week’s mob murder in Beverly Hills, we travel to Pikeville, Kentucky. There, in 1989, FBI Agent Mark Putnam killed an informant with whom he was having an affair.
Mark Putnam
Mark Putnam was born on Independence Day in 1959 and studied criminology at the University of Tampa. After college, he attended the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He married Kathy Ponticelli, the daughter of a wealthy real estate developer, shortly after graduating.
The FBI assigned newly-minted agent Putnam to Pikeville, Kentucky for his first case, bank robber Carl “Cat Eyes” Lockhart. Putnam was to gather evidence to convict Lockhart.
Susan Daniels Smith
Susan Daniels was born in Matewan, West Virginia in 1961. Matewan is at the heart of the area embroiled in the infamous nineteenth century Hatfield-McCoy feud. The old feud was part of Susan, as she was a descendant of both clans. Her father came from the Hatfield while her mother was a descendant of the McCoys.
Susan met Kenneth Smith in 1977 when she was just 15 and he was 22. Smith was a local dealer in methamphetamine, PCP, and cocaine, hardly a model citizen. Nevertheless, the two married sometime in the late 1970s. Although the marriage produced two children, it’s hardly surprising that there were problems. The couple divorced in the mid-1980s.
Mark Putnam Finds an Informant
Recall that in 1987, Agent Mark Putnam was just beginning his investigation of “Cat Eyes” Lockhart. Sheriff’s deputy Bert Hatfield suggested to his friend, Susan, that she could earn extra money by becoming an informant. Putnam and Susan met in the spring of 1987. They met frequently to exchange information about Lockhart’s activities and plans.
Susan’s collaboration with Putnam was successful. The FBI arrested “Cat Eyes” Lockhart in December 1987. The following year saw him sentenced to 57 years in federal prison for robbery. For her assistance in the case, Susan received $5,000 (nearly $12,000 in 2021 dollars).
Mark Putnam Crosses a Line
The case may have been over, but Susan and Mark continued to meet. Sometime in mid-1988, they began a sexual relationship. According to what Susan told friends, they met in motels for sex. In his later confession, Putnam claimed they only had quickies in his car. Regardless of where they met, the two continued their affair.
Mark Putnam was smart enough to realize that continuing to see Susan could be detrimental to his career and his marriage. In early 1989, he requested and received a transfer to Miami, Florida (Kathy had hated Pikeville anyway). However, mid-1989 saw him back in Kentucky to wrap up a car theft investigation.
An Affair Turns to Murder
Putnam and Susan met during this visit to Kentucky. While they were driving on an isolated country road on June 8, she told him she was pregnant. She said the child was his and threatened to expose him. In his confession, Mark said that he pulled off on the side of the road to continue the discussion. He said that he and his wife would adopt the baby. Susan objected and began slapping him. In what he called “an act of extreme rage,” he began choking her. Soon Susan Smith was dead. If, as he claimed, Putnam tried to reviver her, his efforts were unsuccessful.
Now Putnam had a dead body on his hands. He placed Susan in the trunk of his rental car. The next evening, he dumped her off an old coal mine road about nine miles north of Pikeville. Then he went home to his family in Florida.
Susan’s sister, Shelby Ward, reported her missing three days later. It took a year, but suspicion slowly focused on Mark Putnam. After failing a polygraph examination, Putnam confessed and led authorities to where he’d dumped Susan’s body.
Epilogue
Mark Steven Putnam pled guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter (Susan’s autopsy determined she had not been pregnant). Sentenced to 16 years in prison, he served 10. He was a “model prisoner” inside. He lives in Georgia, is remarried, and works as a personal trainer. To date, he is the only FBI agent convicted of homicide.
Putnam’s first wife, Kathy stood by him while he was in prison. She died of a heart attack at age 38 in 1998. Years of struggles with alcohol had compromised her health.
In the early 1990s, writer Joe Sharkey penned Above Suspicion, a book about the case, which he recently revised and updated.
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Well now. How nice for him. I wonder if he’d be a ‘remarried personal trainer’ if he were anything other than white?
He served his time there have plenty of persons of color who were released either by being model prisoners or because they were found not guilty, Mark had no former criminal file and was, before the murder, an upstanding citizen,
Erin is right. If he were a person of color, he wouldn’t be out of prison in 10 years or at all for killing someone. He disposed of the body after the killing . He didn’t even confess until after a year, after being a suspect and after a failed polygraph test. Might not have even been a manslaughter. There was motive to kill given that she was claiming to expose their relationship and pregnancy placing his career and family on the line. He has told his story but she is not here to tell hers so we will never truly know what happened on the day of her death but one thing is certain, 10yrs was too short a time compared to the sentence being served to people of color for the same crime. A black person would have been given life to death sentence in the 1980s /90s.
To hell with that. He murdered a woman in cold blood with his bare hands and he only had to serve 10 years. Ridiculous.
It’s sad that you rob a bank “Cat Eyes” and you get nearly 60 years thanks to Susan Daniels Smith, But you murder a PREGNANT informant and you only do 10 years? Aint America wonderful!
She wasn’t pregnant. She falsely claimed to be pregnant
He still took a life .. no way anyone should anyone be allowed a life of freedom after taking one. I don’t care if they have a record or not. He took a life. She did not deserve to die over being insulted & upset. Seriously he suggested taking away her child to be raised by his wealthy privileged wife that already had children by him. This coward took away a young mother from young kids over a lie + his temper. He was trained to deal with high stresses being an FBI agent and should be held to an even higher standard than anyone else because of this fact. He didn’t just kill one. He killed two and stole a mother from four kids in all. That will never be erased but yes being white made all the difference for him and his future + current success story. Truly Shameful. This system is so broken and twisted in this entire country. Truly sick and sad on so many levels.. to excuse this behavior for any reason is exactly why this world is crashing so hard and fast now. There’s no integrity anymore, and all morals are lost. It’s disgusting to hear people defend this man’s release. He chose to kill her period. No ifs or buts about it. He laughed about it on TV in an interview even.
People like him should be locked up for life,as the principles of his job he did not abide by..😡🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬😬😬😬😬
In such descriptive wording, “upstanding citizen,” a dirty FBI agent is upstanding, are they not? Isn’t it a shame it wasn’t of one of your own he kindly murdered, whom you unseemly waited for the return of their body!
It doesn’t matter if you’re an upstanding citizen. What does that count for anything?
If you take someone’s life not to ruin your career and marriage, you deserve to rot in hell regardless. Ten years is pathetic and a slap to the victim’s family.
Erin, it would do you good to read this article by Black Author Lipton Matthews: “White People’s War on Western Civilization”
https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/white-people-s-war-on-western-civ/
Good read, Irving! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Irving, good read. So many people who throw racism accusations out should look at themselves first. We are all family, good and bad we are the same!
Irving, I just read the article you linked to and wow was it enlightening. I think many times white people try to be social justice warriors and speak out for people whom they don’t see as equals, thinking they are doing them a favor when it’s just down putting, as they ARE, of course EQUALS.
Website “Intellectual takeout”, receives funding from right wing groups, and the Koch brothers. I wouldn’t take what they say as truth or without right wing , white supremacy bias.
I couldn’t even make it to the. Did Goebbels help write this?? LoL
Unfortunately she’s correct. I spent two years in prison and very quickly saw that if I had been black or brown I would still be there. I didn’t believe it was possible until I watched it happen regularly with my own eyes. I’ve read all of the court paperwork. There’s no hiding from it. People don’t say this out of white guilt, they say it because they either believe black people or they have witnessed it first hand like I have.
Interesting read. Thank you!
I hear you Erin. But I had pleaded guilty to murder in 2001 of a Chicago police man and got out 2012 for good model. I didn’t even know dude was a undercover cop. I thought he was some white dude trying to scare me with a pistol. I used my instincts and shot first. Sometimes you get the good people who believe in real justice, and sometimes you do get them racist tyrants.
Anyone would’ve reacted the same way.
What is the point of stating this? Isn’t the fact that he was an FBI agent who had an affair with his informant and then killed her more pertinent to the story and any judgments about his conviction and sentence than his race? It’s not as if there are any similar cases regarding black FBI agents.
I agree with you. Why is everyone talking about race? This isn’t a black/white issue? Why does the race card have to be thrown into every situation?
This is about an FBI agent who murdered his informate? Who also broke so many codes of conduct in his line of work..
If anything he got off easy because she was poor & on drugs?
I don’t think this has anything to do with race?
Geez. The race thing rears it’s ugly head yet again. What about our esteemed OJ Simpson. Probable killer of 2, convicted robber, African American- plays golf and smirks for the camera. How nice for him.
The OJ case seems to always get under some folks skin. Hum I wonder why?
You’re correct Jolene. OJ also goes on to write a book which he more or less admits to the killings.
Furthermore, this has nothing to do with OJ getting under anyone’s skin or the color of one’s skin.
And it should. lame prosecution The blood shrank the glove.
Jolene that’s an interesting point.
I would like to read something written about that. I can’t believe they bought into Johnny C.’s phrase about the glove,
“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit”.
I think it’s much more credible to say that this was a case of poor meets authority rather than white vs. black. She was a poor drug-addicted mother of two, and he was an educated, decorated FBI agent. There’s a long history of killers with higher socioeconomic status than their victims getting softer sentences than what their crime alone deserved.
Stop that racism stuff. I believe he behaved while in prison, that’s why he only served 10 years, not because he’s white. If he was black with good behavior, they would do the same thing also. Racism equals hate. The people who are obsessed with it, they’re the racist.
I work in the system and between race and class, it makes all the difference. Your out of touch.
Agreed!!
Do the research. It’s not racism. Look at the numbers. And getting just 16 years for murder is ridiculous and 10 is even more so. And if a black man murders the governor’s white daughter, u still think it’s 10 for him? lol right
I agree with you…
It’s becoming so ridiculous to keep throwing the race card in.
Racism weak minded peoples crutch to get attention off of actual issues
Probably, i don’t know why he wouldnt start over again if he was a different color
You mean. Like O.J.?
I was about to come to the conclusion that things were all fine between the races until the O.J. Simpson acquittal. One of the news outlets had a camera set up in the basement of an AME church where those good Christian folk breathlessly awaited the verdict. When he was declared not guilty, you would’ve thought Obama had been elected. They jumped up whooping and dancing around as if everyone of them had won the lottery. They were not concerned about Justice being served; they only wanted the Black man to be found not guilty. The icing on the cake was when president Obama declared Treyvon Martin was “the son he never had.” The reason George Z. was found innocent by a racially diverse jury was because he was simply protecting his life from having his head bashed into the concrete sidewalk. The reason Treyvon Martin was killed was because he did not have sense enough to ask, “why are you following me?” Trayvon, in typical thug style, tried to give an innocent man a beat down. He just chose the wrong man and got what he deserved. His mother and daddy were not married; he had no strong father figure to teach him any better. He did not know how to control himself and he paid the price.
As far as Michael Brown, that gentle giant, the only way his DNA and blood splatter could’ve gotten on the inside of the police cruiser was he was sticking his hand in there trying to get the officer’s weapon. What would you do if someone were banging your head in the concrete and you had a weapon? What would you do if someone’s trying to snatch your weapon away from you? As a Black friend of mine said, “Those boys were thugs and they deserved to die. As far as O.J. Simpson is concerned, as sure as I am black and you’re white, OJ is guilty.”
Idk what black friend told you that but it sounds like bs to me.
As a black person, I cheered for OJs acquittal for every Emmet Til who was lynched for “looking” at a white woman wrong, & for every black man wrongfully convicted, & for every Rodney King. We finally showed white America how it feels when the justice system gets it wrong. We all know OJ did it! However, the history is too long of black men being wrongfully treated by the justice system. It will forever be a win in my book.
I’m not white and I have to roll my eyes to that foolish question! To satisfy your wondering question he could be Green it doesn’t matter.
What type of person marries a man who admits to a murder? If they admit to having an affair with the first wife, I’d cross him off.
Excellent point!!!!
Huh???? What a weird thing to say in this situation.
Well, if he were any other color they wouldn’t have even charged him
We have enough social justice warriors in the world. We don’t need more division, we need people building bridges. How many times have you actively helped an underprivileged community? Have you paid for someone else’s groceries when it’s obvious they are struggling? Have you got friend together to paint or repair a him? Stop with trying to appear like you’re helping a race or ANY underprivileged community and actually DO Something about it! Then keep that good deed all to yourself instead of trying to bank on social points. That is what every vocal or keyboard social-justice-warriors can do that actually helps the world instead trying to look pious.
It’s true that on average, the average black man wouldn’t be treated as well as the average white man. But that’s only part of the story. In truth, it’s about class and poor men of any race get the worst defense lawyer and therefore the worst sentences and treatment. Since on average most black men aren’t rich, they do fare the worst in the injustice system. But poor white men are treated no better!
In this case, the murderer wasn’t a poor white man, and he was kind of an elite government employee. He still did quite a bit of time considering Compared to many cops for instance..who never serve time at all for murder!
With the way our society has allowed punishment for crimes to be diminished to a slap on the wrist the answer to your question would be a simple yes.
Well, he was white and also an FBI agent, so he had that going for him too.
Had he been a black FBI agent, there is a good chance he might have recouped as well as Putnam after serving his sentence.
Had he just been an average black dude, things probably wouldn’t have worked out as rosy. Sad, but true.
He’d be working out in prison!!
Yep. You’re 100% correct
We all know the answer to that
It’s called rehabilitation. Bringing race into this is like saying 6% of the population (black males) are responsible for 48% of all violent crimes: Source: Department of Justice Statistics year in year out.
I wonder if he would indeed have been doing this is he was black or would have resorted to reoffending. See how the race baiting works? Grow up.
I mean if he was latino maybe he would be a landscaper? Whats your point ?
Why would make this case a black/white issue? I am just curious, I am so sick of everyone rushing to the black/white issue. I have 2 great grandkids that are mix, I have 3 nieces that are of mixed race and let me tell you, we as a mixed family have evolved and have risen above that ignorant thinking.
Signed,
Sick of race always being the issue
OJ killed two white people didn’t do a day in prison see how silly this race baiting is
What a waste of 2 lives. What could have been? Never will be .
It’s interesting how the movie ‘Above Suspicion’ left out the part where it turned out Susan wasn’t really pregnant afterall.
Films “based on a true story” often take far too many liberties with the truth. It may make better entertainment, but I walsy say if you want the real story, go to the book.
I’ve read two other true crime stories where the female murder victims were killed by boyfriends they told they were pregnant. The boyfriends panicked and murdered the girls (they were all teenagers). At autopsy, they discovered they weren’t pregnant. It;ss an age old ruse women use to try to keep hanging on to their boyfriends who are either breaking up with them, have moved on, etc.
Then there’re women who murder pregnant women to cut their babies out of them and claim them as their own in order to keep their boyfriends and husbands.
I remember Diane Downs, 1980s, the mother of three children who shot them because her new boyfriend wouldn’t get serious with her because he didn’t want to be involved with someone with kids.
There are hundreds of stories like these.
The truth is, it could not be determined. Her body was exhumed but it was too dehydrated to get an answer.
My father was a deputy in Pikeville during this time. Those are the facts, regardless of the bullcrap people tend to spread.
Yes, that is interesting. It might have made Susan less sympathetic to some.
I feel like Kathy and Susan were both
victimized by Putnam,
I saw an interview of him at the end of the movie and found it unsettling and down right creepy how he smiled when talking about Susan. His inappropriate affect seemed the dead give away of a sociopath..…perhaps even a psychopath.
The movie does say she wasn’t pregnant. She wasn’t exactly a model citizen but she didn’t deserve to die although she was blackmailing him pretty much. Watching the movie it does seem like manslaughter, and if that was correct then 16 years is an appropriate sentence. And there are plenty of people of all colors who get out of jail early for good behavior.
I tend to concur!
Also, let’s talk about Larry Miller, president of Nike Air Jordan. He ADMITS to killing an African American kid when he was 18. Claims self defense, but who doesn’t. Absolutely no consequences for that action. Do you think that’d fly if the same situation involved a WHITE president of Nike? I’m not saying Larry Miller should be prosecuted and I’m not defending Mark Putnam’s disgusting actions, all I’m saying that your comment about “gee this wouldn’t happen with anyone but a white guy” is ridiculous.
The movie also didn’t show that Susan Smith’s body was decomposing for a year before Putnam decided to tell where her bones could be found.
I believe you are incorrect about that.
All that was left of Susan was skeletal remains.
What was that piece of orange plastic(?) on one of Susan’s bones?
I think it was her fingernail, but I’m not sure.
What happened to his children? They had to be very young when their mum died.
I couldn’t find any information related to this. It’s likel that their father, Kenneth Smith, raised them but I don’t know for sure.
Yupp. Yup…Pigs always get away with the evil they do. . I hope someone in prison tried to rape his a**.
I wonder if he would have done more time if he killed a man
It should be a felony to falsely claim that you are pregnant.
He killed someone and he’s allowed to be free, remarry and have a wonderful life?!!! This is insane!
What a great (in)justice system we have.
Susan Smith’s sister raised them.
Everyone complaining about his sentence. 8 to 30 years for a Class B felony. Even in the movie they mentioned 6 is the usual for manslaughter with most serving 2 with good behavior. This guy had zero criminal record prior and was considered a model prisoner while serving his sentence. The guy did 10 years, which is well above the average for time served in his situation. Not saying it’s a fair trade off for taking a life, but he did serve above the norms. And.. I don’t care what color he is. Maybe he served more time because he was white? Yeah… tongue in cheek.
All this talk about his skin color determining the amount of time he had to serve is absurd! Every time something like this occurs, the color card is played. Stop with the racism crap and look at the circumstances and why he was released.
I actually was a correctional officer where Putnam was held. Two points to touch on.
1. The race thing is a bunch of BS.
Yes, he killed her, but he was also a model inmate and had not once received any disciplinary incidents. So he did his time
2. The majority of black inmates act like a slew of undisciplined children in grown-up bodies. Continuing their street shit inside. Mark walked the yard and caused 0 problems.
Glad to see “race” was brought up when it has nothing to do with this case.
He plead guilty to felony manslaughter – typically a 10-20 year term in KY – sentenced to 16 and released in 10 on good behavior.
Pretty much by the book.
First Degree Manslaughter? It appears there was ample evidence to proffer First Degree Murder — Premeditation and Deliberation — which might have been deliberately or inadvertently destroyed. This case leaves a lot to be desired!
Ya know the criminal justice system is messed up when someone does just 10 years for murder. Meanwhile, the guy who robbed the bank gets nearly 60years. In other words. I’m sorry but there’s something terribly wrong with that picture
I read all the comments and found it entertaining, but if you watched the movie or read the book you would know why he got 18 years. They had no evidence at all and a failed polygraph test. He confessed because of a guilty conscience which caused him health problems. He could of walked out interviews and been a free man. The prosecutor, assistant prosecutor, FBI management and every law enforcement officer in the case knew that was true.
I read a number of comments that he got off light and probably so. But he received a light sentence because the authorities had no case. No Body No case! So, he cut a deal. He pleads to a lesser crime. They get a conviction and her family got her body to bury. It happens all the time. The reason others get much stiffer sentences will happen for a variety of reasons: the authorities have evidence, witnesses or a stronger case.sometimes the police have good interrogators who can solicit a confession or the suspects are plain ignorant or dumb? In this one they had nothing besides him failing the polygraph which is not admissible in court! Plus I believe his conscience was eating at him. I saw an interview he did with Oprah in the late 80’s or early 90’s he was very candid and straightforward. I believe him. Is Susan had not threatened him or lied about the baby perhaps the story would have turned out differently. There were no winners in this case.
This was truly a sad story, FBI agent Mark Putnam was taught better. The number one thing in this whole sad, sick story was Susan’s children and Mark’s children, they deserved better. I was raised in a terrible situation and you can choose to raise above it at some point. Susan did not once put her children first nor did Mark. Whatever justice was served, whether it was enough or not, will be served later by God and he has to live with himself. Should he have know better yes, but Susan had a role in it as well. She was poor and uneducated but for God’s sake, she could have gotten help and tried to change. But she never even tired and her children paid the ultimate price and so did Mark’s. I felt sorry everyone’s children.