Bio

Susan Marie DeJong was born in 1956. Her full name appears in public records and news reports as Susan Marie DeJong.

She was a mother. Her oldest son is Alex Smart. Alex said he became close to Thomas DeJong and considered him his dad, even though Thomas was not his biological father. She also had a biological son named James Platt. James Platt and his wife Sharon Platt are mentioned in news coverage.

For years Susan DeJong lived in South Dakota. She and Thomas later moved to rural Fairbury in Jefferson County, Nebraska. News reports note the family lived in that area in 2010 and 2011.

Murder Story

On March 11, 2011, Susan Marie DeJong called 911 from a residence about eight miles west of Fairbury, Nebraska, saying her husband, Thomas DeJong, was unresponsive. Emergency crews took Thomas to a local hospital and then to BryanLGH in Lincoln. Doctors later determined his cause of death to be blunt force trauma to his head, torso, and limbs.

Susan DeJong was arrested the next day, March 12, 2011. She was charged with first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. She pleaded not guilty in April 2011 and went to trial in February 2012.

At trial, prosecutors presented more than 200 exhibits and called 23 witnesses. The prosecution showed a hammer that had been found in a red duffel bag in DeJong’s truck and introduced other physical and testimonial evidence. The state also pointed to instant messages in which DeJong wrote, “I’m looking at getting rid of Tom, I can’t take it anymore, I’m going insane.” The defense called witnesses and experts who disputed some of the state’s conclusions and offered alternative explanations.

A jury found Susan DeJong guilty of first-degree murder and use of a weapon on February 27, 2012. On May 2, 2012, she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, the additional time for the weapon charge. Court statements and news reports noted the impact on Thomas DeJong’s family and described Thomas as a quiet, hard-working man.

Basic facts reported in the case list Susan DeJong as born in 1956 and her victim as Thomas DeJong, age 52. The case is classified as parricide, and the location was Fairbury in Jefferson County, Nebraska. The official findings and reporting state the method of injury as blunt force trauma with a hammer.