Pamela Smart, who was convicted more than three decades ago for orchestrating her husband’s murder with a high school student, has acknowledged her responsibility in the crime in a new bid to shorten her life sentence.
“I found myself accountable for something I desperately wished not to be involved in – my husband’s murder,” Smart stated in a video accompanying her petition.
In her plea addressed to Gov. Chris Sununu and the state’s Executive Council, Smart expressed a desire for an “open discussion about my imprisonment, my acknowledgment of guilt, and any concerns you may have,” proposing to meet either in person or via videoconference.
“I have evolved significantly from who I was and have become more introspective,” Smart asserted. “Thirty-four years is an extensive period, during which I have undertaken considerable personal and spiritual growth.”
What did Pamela Smart do?
Smart, now 56, was convicted in 1991 for her involvement in the murder of her husband Gregg Smart, orchestrated by William “Billy” Flynn, a teenager with whom she was romantically involved, just days before their first wedding anniversary.
Currently serving a life sentence for being an accessory to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and witness tampering, Smart seeks the opportunity to appeal to a parole board for potential release if her petition succeeds.
Previous attempts to reduce her sentence were denied, most recently by the Executive Council and New Hampshire Supreme Court in 2022, as reported by The Portsmouth Herald.
Mark Sisti, Smart’s attorney, highlighted a significant shift from her earlier petitions.
“Pam is now prepared and willing to fully accept responsibility for her husband Gregg’s murder,” he informed. “We see this as a remarkable transformation. It is our hope that the governor and council will acknowledge this and engage with her directly.”
According to Sisti, Smart has finally reached a realization about her role in the crime after more than three decades of evasion.
“She has been evading it for over thirty years,” he added.
Smart’s latest petition, filed by Sisti, includes a personal statement from Smart and endorsements from the superintendent and several inmates of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, where she is currently detained.
Sisti clarified that there is no fixed timeline for the governor and council to decide on her case. “When she gets a hearing depends entirely on them,” he noted.
New Hampshire’s process for commutation or pardon requests is described as equitable and comprehensive by Gov. Sununu in a statement via email. “Pamela Smart will be afforded the same opportunity to petition the Council for a hearing as any other individual,” he assured.
Pamela Smart trial ignited media frenzy, inspired films
Smart’s 1991 trial triggered intense media interest globally and served as the basis for a Hollywood movie.
At the time of the crime, Smart, then 22 and working as a media coordinator at a high school in Hampton, New Hampshire, persuaded Flynn, a 15-year-old student, and three of his friends to carry out the murder of her husband while she attended a school board meeting on May 1, 1990. They awaited Gregg Smart’s return to their condo, where Flynn shot him at close range while one of his accomplices held a knife to his neck.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Smart had engaged in a sexual relationship with Flynn and coerced him into committing the crime. They also alleged that Smart instructed Flynn to ransack their home and steal jewelry to make the murder appear to be a botched burglary.
The trial, broadcast in its entirety on live television, captivated public attention, drawing news crews from across the globe to the Exeter courtroom.
Media coverage labeled Smart as an “ice princess” and “black widow” who had manipulated Flynn into the murder. The case inspired documentaries, television series, and the 1995 film “To Die For,” starring Nicole Kidman as a woman who seduces a teenage boy, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, into killing her husband.