“Broken Vows”: ’20/20′ Interviews Pamela Smart August 16 2024

The upcoming episode of ABC’s 20/20, titled “Broken Vows,” scheduled to air on August 16, 2024, revisits the infamous case of Pamela Smart. This episode promises an in-depth look at her story, featuring an exclusive interview with Juju Chang. Pamela Smart, who has been behind bars for over three decades, continues to claim her innocence. The episode aims to shed light on her perspective, providing viewers with a fresh look at the controversial case that captivated the nation in the early 1990s.

Pamela Smart’s case is one of the most widely publicized criminal cases in American history, often compared to the likes of other high-profile trials. The 20/20 episode will delve into the complexities of the case, including Smart’s relationship with her teenage lover, William “Billy” Flynn, and the subsequent murder of her husband, Greggory Smart. This episode is set to reignite the debate over her guilt and the fairness of her trial, which was marred by intense media coverage and sensationalism.

The Background: Pamela Smart and Her Relationship with Billy Flynn

Pamela Smart was born Pamela Wojas on August 16, 1967, in Coral Gables, Florida. She moved to Derry, New Hampshire, during her teenage years and later attended Florida State University, where she earned a degree in communications. It was during a holiday visit to New Hampshire that she met Greggory Smart, who would later become her husband. Their marriage, however, was far from idyllic. Less than a year into their marriage, the couple began experiencing significant marital difficulties.

During this turbulent period, Pamela took a job as a media coordinator at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire. It was here that she met Billy Flynn, a 15-year-old sophomore. The two developed a relationship that would ultimately lead to tragedy. According to the prosecution, Smart seduced Flynn and manipulated him into murdering her husband, threatening to end their relationship if he did not comply. Flynn, along with three of his friends, carried out the murder on May 1, 1990, in what initially appeared to be a botched burglary.

The Crime: The Murder of Greggory Smart

On the evening of May 1, 1990, Pamela Smart returned home to find her condominium ransacked and her husband, Greggory Smart, dead. The crime scene was staged to look like a burglary gone wrong, but the investigation quickly took a different turn. Evidence soon emerged that implicated Pamela in the murder plot, primarily through the testimony of her teenage lover and his accomplices.

The key to the investigation was a .38 caliber pistol, believed to be the murder weapon, which was found by the father of one of Flynn’s accomplices. Additionally, an anonymous tip led the police to Cecilia Pierce, a friend of Pamela’s who was privy to the murder plot. Pierce agreed to wear a wire and recorded conversations with Pamela that proved incriminating. In these recordings, Pamela appeared to acknowledge her involvement in the plot, despite later claiming she had no foreknowledge of the murder.

The Trial: A Media Frenzy and Legal Battles

Pamela Smart’s trial, held in 1991, was one of the first in the United States to be televised gavel-to-gavel, drawing significant media attention. The prosecution portrayed Smart as a manipulative “black widow” who used her sexual relationship with Flynn to orchestrate her husband’s murder. The trial became a media spectacle, with Smart’s every move and word scrutinized by the public.

The prosecution’s case relied heavily on the testimonies of Flynn and his co-conspirators, who had secured plea deals in exchange for their cooperation. Flynn testified that Smart had manipulated him into committing the murder, threatening to end their relationship if he did not comply. Smart, on the other hand, admitted to having an affair with Flynn but denied any involvement in the murder plot, claiming that Flynn acted independently out of his obsession with her.

After a 14-day trial, the jury found Pamela Smart guilty of being an accomplice to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and witness tampering. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a sentence that remains in place to this day.

The Aftermath: Life in Prison and Ongoing Legal Struggles

Since her conviction, Pamela Smart has been serving her life sentence at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in New York. Over the years, she has maintained her innocence, claiming that she was wrongly accused and that the media portrayal of her as a “black widow” influenced the outcome of her trial. Despite numerous appeals and requests for sentence reductions, Smart has remained incarcerated, with her legal options now exhausted.

Smart has spent her time in prison pursuing education, earning multiple degrees, and engaging in various rehabilitation programs. However, her life behind bars has not been without controversy. In 1996, she was severely beaten by fellow inmates, an attack that left her with lasting physical and emotional scars. More recently, in 2023, Smart made headlines again when she publicly accepted responsibility for her husband’s death for the first time, a move seen by some as an attempt to gain sympathy and secure a sentence reduction.

The Legacy: A Case That Continues to Divide Opinion

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