New Hampshire Supreme Court hears arguments in Pamela Smart case
CONCORD, N.H. – New Hampshire's Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in the Pamela Smart case.
Smart has served more than 30 years in prison for her role in the 1990 shooting death of her husband Gregg.
She wants the right to get a hearing on a petition for commutation, something both Gov. Chris Sununu and the New Hampshire executive council have denied.
No decisions have been made following the latest hearing.
Smart's mother Linda Wojas released a statement to WBZ-TV about the hearing.
"The NH Constitution under Article 18 in the penal code states 'The true design of all punishment is to rehabilitate, not exterminate, mankind.' My daughter has rehabilitated herself with earning another master's degree as well as a doctorate. Please follow the law," Wojas said.
Four teenagers, including one Smart was having an affair with, shot and killed Gregg in Derry, New Hampshire. Smart's attorney says she has accepted responsibility for her actions.
"We are OK, but every time she tries this stuff the whole family goes through it all again," said Jim Smart, Gregg's uncle. He watched the hearing on Tuesday and said Pamela is not going far enough in owning her part.
"She said having an affair was her part. And you know what that is. It's BS. She planned this," Jim Smart said. "Gregg would be alive today if she didn't plan this. So, when it comes to mercy, I do not have any mercy for her."
The four men involved in the murder have all completed their prison sentences.
Few people know Pamela Smart like Bella Gonzalez. At 17 years old, Gonzalez started serving time in the same maximum-security prison as Smart. "I needed her help. I needed her to teach me what I wanted to know. She became a good friend," Gonzalez said. "She has done 32 years in prison, and if any inmate has been rehabilitated, it's Pamela Smart."
In 2019, WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben interviewed Smart in prison. She said she will never admit to planning the murder.