Pamela Smart asks for life sentence to be commuted, nearly 30 years after killing her husband with her lover
On May 1, 1990, Pamela Smart committed murder after conspiring with her 15-year old lover, William Flynn to kill her husband, Greggory Smart. She was later convicted of the crime and since then has been serving a life sentence. However, after spending nearly 30 years behind bars, Pamela has finally put forward a request in front of Gov. Chris Sununu and the New Hampshire Executive Council to reduce her life sentence and put her on parole instead.
In a recent interview from the New York State prison, Pamela expressed her remorse which was followed by a request for another chance. "We're a country that says we're merciful, compassionate, we believe in redemption, we believe in rehabilitation, but there's no alternative for someone who has proven that," she said, as reported by New Hampshire Public Radio.
She continued, "I just feel that there's a lot I could contribute outside of here. And for anybody who thinks I haven't suffered, I literally have spent my 20s, my 30s, and my 40s and now going on my 50s in prison. I don't know how much suffering will ever be enough for people." Pamela, who is now 51, was only 23 years old when she committed the murder. Before admitting to killing her husband, Pamela had accepted that she was in a romantic relationship with William. William, on the other hand, confessed to shooting and killing Gregg and had told the cops that Pamela had asked him to kill her husband because if they divorced, she would lose everything.
But Pamela did not agree to these accusations. Pamela is currently serving out her sentence at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, New York. The only people who can reduce her life sentence are the governor and executive council. Pamela has filled more than a 700-page petition with the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office this week with a bid to have a verdict in her favor.
The pages consist of a list of work she has done in the time she has spent in the prison, letters of support, as well as, actions which were taken by governors of other states in similar cases. During her time at the prison, Pamela also earned two master's degrees. Pamela also accompanied a letter which was addressed to Sununu. In it, she writes that she is "praying that you withhold judgment until you and the Executive Councilors read my pleas and that mercy, compassion, and fairness will guide your decision."
In a statement, Sununu said the process for Pamela's petition "will be the same as any other commutation or pardon request. Here in New Hampshire, we have a fair and thorough process, and it is important to let the process play out." This is not the first time that Pamela has made this request. She had submitted a similar petition last year. However, it was taken off the agenda as it was close to the election and the new executive council was going to be elected. For a long time, Pamela was of the view that she wasn't to blame for the death of her husband as she wasn't the one who pulled the trigger. But later, she confessed that years of "doing a lot of work on myself" she said that she always wondered how things would have been if she did not have an affair with William.
"It's interesting that people say, 'Oh, you know, she has no remorse, or whatever'. I cannot have remorse for a crime that I did not commit, but I do have remorse for the bad choices that I made and the horrible decisions that contributed and lead to this. And like I said, even though I didn’t pull the trigger now, I’m responsible for his death," she said.