Pamela Smart

Pamela Smart is an American woman convicted in 1991 of being an accomplice to the first-degree murder of her husband, Gregg Smart, in Derry, New Hampshire.

Pamela Smart is an American woman convicted in 1991 of being an accomplice to the first-degree murder of her husband, Gregg Smart, in Derry, New Hampshire. She was also convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and witness tampering, and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole in New York. Her case drew widespread attention because it involved an affair with a teenage student and extensive televised coverage of the trial.

Background

Pamela Ann Wojas, later Pamela Smart, was born in 1967 and worked as a high school media coordinator in New Hampshire. At the time of the crime, she was 22 years old.

Murder case

Gregg Smart was killed in 1990 in Derry, New Hampshire. Prosecutors argued that Pamela Smart helped plan the killing with her underage student, William Flynn, and other teenagers. They alleged she conspired with her teenage boyfriend, William 'Billy' Flynn, and other youths to arrange the murder.

Trial and conviction

Smart was tried in Rockingham County Superior Court and convicted in March 1991 of accomplice to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and witness tampering. A jury found her guilty after a 14-day trial that ended on March 22, 1991. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Her trial became one of the earliest U.S. courtroom proceedings to allow cameras inside, attracting major public attention.

Later developments

Smart has remained incarcerated and has pursued legal efforts to challenge or reduce her sentence. In 2024, she publicly accepted full responsibility for her husband's death in a videotaped statement linked to a request for sentence reduction.