A judge rejects Pamela Smart’s latest bid for a new trial in 1990 accomplice to murder case
The judge said Smart failed to show transcript errors prejudiced jurors or justified habeas relief.
- On Thursday, Merrimack County Superior Court Judge James Kennedy dismissed Pamela Smart's latest petition for a new trial. Smart is serving life for orchestrating the 1990 murder of her husband, Gregory Smart.
- In 1990, Smart began an affair with 15-year-old student William Flynn while serving as a high school media coordinator. Flynn fatally shot Gregory Smart after Smart threatened to end their relationship if he refused.
- Smart's attorneys argued jurors received inaccurate transcripts of muffled audio containing words like "killed" and "busted." Kennedy dismissed this, noting similar claims failed during her appeal 33 years ago.
- Kennedy also rejected claims that the 1991 trial was tainted by media coverage and faulty jury instructions, ruling these arguments lacked sufficient legal merit. The court determined Smart failed to show inaccuracies caused prejudice.
- Smart finally accepted responsibility for the death in 2024 after years of deflecting blame. The case inspired Joyce Maynard's 1992 book "To Die For" and remains a cultural touchstone.
94 Articles
94 Articles
Judge rejects Pamela Smart’s latest bid for a new trial in 1990 accomplice to murder case
A New Hampshire judge on Thursday dismissed the latest petition for a new trial from Pamela Smart, who is serving life in prison for orchestrating the murder of her husband by her teenage student more than three decades ago.
A judge rejects Pamela Smart's latest bid for a new trial in 1990
FILE - This image taken from video provided by Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord, N.H., shows Pamela Smart appearing remotely from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Bedford Hills, N.Y., during a hearing related to her petition for a new trial, July 20, 2026, in Concord, N.H. (Merrimack County Superior Court via AP, File)
Associated Press News
A judge rejects Pamela Smart’s latest bid for a new trial in 1990 accomplice to murder case
A New Hampshire judge has dismissed Pamela Smart's latest petition for a new trial. Smart is serving a life sentence for orchestrating her husband's murder by her teenage student over three decades ago.
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