IN BRIEF: Surprise move in mother's murder trial

Surprise move in mother's murder trial

Union, South Carolina - The prosecution abruptly rested its case in Susan Smith's double murder trial after three days of testimony about how the young mother rolled her car into a lake with her two small sons strapped inside. The action, which caught the defence by surprise, followed testimony by a forensic pathologist who examined the bodies of the two drowned toddlers. In an attempt to avoid a repeat of Wednesday's emotionally wrenching court session, in which a diver testified to seeing "a small hand" in the murky water when he discovered the boys, the defence agreed that the two children had died by drowning. The defence began its case, with testimony about Mrs Smith's remorse. Reuter