Eric Smith, convicted of killing 4-year-old Derrick Robie in Steuben County in August 1993, will be in front of a parole board seeking his freedom for the seventh time next week.
Smith, who is now 34 and living in the Collins Correctional Facility 25 miles south of Buffalo, was 13 when he lured Robie into a wooded area near the boy's Savona home. Robie was walking alone to a summer camp at a nearby park. Smith strangled Robie, smashed his head with a rock and sodomized Robie with a stick.
His lawyer at the time tried to persuade a jury that Smith suffered from a mental disorder, but Smith was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to nine years to life in prison.
Smith was housed in a juvenile facility until 2001, when he was transferred to state prison.
He is eligible for parole every two years and was first denied parole in August 2002.
His parole hearing is Friday. He was denied parole after his last hearing in 2012.
