tv 2020 ABC January 10, 2020 9:00pm-11:01pm PST
9:00 pm
[ telephone beeps ] i'm david muir. >> i'm amy robach. >> and this is "20/20." >>. >> my name is pamela smart. i have been portrayed as black widow, ice princess, a killer, and none of those things could be further from the truth. >> this story had it all. a beautiful young woman, a seductress of a young teenage boy. >> and perhaps most importantly, murder. >> pam, did you have anything to do with your husband's murder? >> people were asking why this happened and why pam smart could
9:01 pm
lure a young man into killing for her. >> to be seductive to, get him to kill her. >> i never would have done it if pam didn't tell me to. she was the first girl i ever loved. i pulled the trigger. god forgive me. >> your trial defined media frenzy. >> this was the first trial to be broadcast live from start to finish before o.j., before the menendez brothers. >> it was reality tv before there was reality tv. >> i meet pam smart. she's beautiful, she's intelligent, she's an adult, and she likes me. >> it gets made into a movie, "to die for" which stars phoenix and nicole kidman. >> a lot of people felt like they knew everything about me because they saw the movie. >> why is it pamela smart served a life sentence with zero
9:02 pm
percent of parole? >> nobody cared anything about me being a human being, a person with feelings, i'm nothing but that mistake. >> what do you think is your best hope for getting out? >> there is one thing pam smart could do today that could give her that chance to get out of jail, but she won't do it. >> we're going sit here, if that's okay. i know this is not your first rodeo. >> no, it's not. >> it was such a notorious crime that i was really intrigued when she agreed to a jailhouse interview. she had been maintaining her innocence for decades. we all wondered what it would be like to meet this woman, a woman the jury was convinced masterminded her husband's murder. >> just to be clear, did you mastermind this? >> i did not. i spent almost three decades and it hurts. >> you talk about all that you lost, including the potential to be a mom. >> yeah, and that makes me sad
9:03 pm
because i love children. i wanted to be a mother and now,en why, i lost all my years. it seems like to whole world's passing by, and, you know, i'm still here. >> pamela was really the golden girl of true crime in the '90s. it was a story we never really heard before. in the '90s she was right up there with tanya and amy fischer. this was the era of the bad girl for sure. >> right around this time is when you got madonna doing erot erotica. ♪ erotic put your hands all over my body ♪ >> and the sex book and the idea women aren't the victims but they can put notches in the bed post the same as the the reasons why the crime had
9:04 pm
taken place, the motivations, the passions that resulted in what happened seemed to fascinate people. >> it all starts in miami, florida. ♪ mom, dad, don't worry about the weather, about the weather ♪ >> my name is diane dimond. i am a veteran journalist/reporter, and i've been covering the pamela smart case since the mid '90s. pamela is one of three children. she has a sister and a brother. her mother, a homemaker who took homemaking very seriously. >> she was always there, and when we had a problem, we didn't have to wait till she came home from work, because she was home. >> my husband was a pilot. pam loved bein' with dad. she was very close to him. she was very happy. she was a sweet child. she had a lot of friends. >> kinda happy-go-lucky.
9:05 pm
>> i think so, yes. >> then her family moved to new hampshire. >> this is the american dream. a low crime rate, beautiful parks, greenery, people are friendly. >> then came time for college. pam smart decides to return to florida, and she enrolls at fsu. >> when i went to college, i worked three jobs, 52 hours a week and graduated from college a year early. >> pamela smart was an overachiever. she received a degree in communication arts, and her goal was to be a television news reporter. >> my aspiration was to be a journalist and to be in the media. >> she wanted to be another barbara walters. >> didn't we all? >> don't touch that dialle you're listening to tallahassee.
9:06 pm
>> she was a deejay on the college radio station and hosted not one, but two different radio shows. >> i did the rock show at night. >> she loved van halen. ♪ jump, jump >> she loved motley crue. >> her moniker was, "the maiden of metal." >> i didn't go to college and go out partying. i worked all the time. >> so you skipped adolescence? >> i kinda skipped relationships. i had no boyfriend in college until i met my husband, and that was it. >> in 1994, everybody wanted to hear from pamela smart. she gave her first interview to my colleague diane sawyer. >> and we're rolling. >> how did you meet gregg smart? >> i met gregg when i came home for christmas during a break one year. originally, i wasn't attracted to him, but i then became attracted him.
9:07 pm
>> what about him? >> he was very outgoing and always smiling. he seemed fun to be around. >> he was a rocker. the long hair, the attitude. she loved him. >> she said,en why you know, mom, he's the one. we liked him, too. >> gregg and pam smart bonded over van halen, songs like, "you really got me." ♪ girling you really got me now ♪ >> "hot for teacher." ♪ i got it bad so bad ♪ i'm hot for teacher >> gregg seemed very glamorous to her. he had this magnificent head of hair. >> that's the guy pam told me she fell in love with. >> so what does he do? he leaves town and moves to florida to be with pam. >> there's something very innocent and very normal and very sweet about it. they fell in love. they dated for a while. he came down to florida to be with her.
9:08 pm
>> he wasn't interested in going to college. he was just interested in being with pam. >> it's a relationship that heats up lightning fast but fizzles out almost as quickly. >> you would never know that in less than one year, gregg smart would be murdered. soyou just want 5 o'clockn. to get here. because depression is multiple symptoms that can hold you back. ehh, time for a change. and your doctor tells you about trintellix, a prescription medicine for adults with depression. and there's this overall relief. sweet. and trintellix had no significant impact on weight in clinical trials. tell your doctor right away if you have worsening depression, unusual changes in mood, behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. do not take with maois. tell your doctor about your medications including migraine, psychiatric and depression medications to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. increased risk of bleeding and bruising may occur especially if taken with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin
9:09 pm
or blood thinners. manic episodes or vision problems may occur in some people. may cause low sodium levels. common side effects include nausea, constipation and vomiting. this. just...this. ask your doctor about changing to trintellix. the good news? our comfort lasts all day. the bad news? so does his energy. depend® fit-flex underwear offers your best comfort and protection guaranteed. because, perfect or not, life's better when you're in it. be there with depend®. in getting key nutrients peopfrom food alone. one a day, covers all of them. in just one serving. one a day, and done.
9:10 pm
♪ ♪ (beeping) (tires screeching) ♪ ♪ (beeping) this is protection in a world of distraction. this is nissan intelligent mobility. ♪ the 2 for 5 mix and match deal choose from some of your all-time favorites. ♪ it's time to celebrate. because 2 for 5 mix and match is back. ♪ ba da ba ba ba proof i can fight moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. proof i can fight psoriatic arthritis... ...with humira.
9:11 pm
proof of less joint pain... ...and clearer skin in psa. humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. humira is proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage,... ...and clear skin in psa. want more proof? ask your rheumatologist about humira.
9:12 pm
9:13 pm
we looked forward to having grandchildren. >> pam smart was decked out like princess diana. the big, poofy, white wedding dress. he was handsome in a steel gray tuxedo. >> when you look at the photographs and the video of that wedding, i don't know that i've seen a happier couple. >> i was only 21 years old when i got married. i was very much in love with my husband. >> i thought that gregg and i, would have a fulfilling future. that we would have a family and children. >> do you still feel married to your husband? >> i do. and you know, it's weird that you would ask me that, because i was just filling out an application for something for in here yesterday, and it says, are you married? and i put yes. date of marriage.
9:14 pm
because i am still married. i'm widowed, but i'm still married. >> the couple moved back to new hampshire. >> they move into a very well-to-do neighborhood in a beautiful condominium. >> it's nickname is the space town. it's nicknamed because it's the home toubtown of alan shepherd, the astronaut. robert foster was from there. >> something we were withholding made us weak. >> pamela got a job at the local public school system. and she became the media liaison among about a dozen public schools. >> she's introducing students into television. she was able to write press releases. she was able to create content. this job, by no means, was what her career ambition was, but it was a stepping stone. >> i had a very good job. i made a lot of money for myself. i was 22 years old. i had a 40-year-old something secretary. i had a job where i had four
9:15 pm
weeks paid vacation, full medical, dental, all of that. i was my own boss. i really made my own money. >> gregg sort of settled down a little bit. he cut off his long hair. he went into the respectable insurance business with his father. >> so years later when pam smart's case would be infamous and they're making tv movies about it, there's a scene in new hampshire where gregg's haircut was made out to be the first sign of trouble. >> i remember exactly filming that scene on the doorstep when gregg comes home, pam looks at him, hardly recognizes him. he's shorn, he's cut everything off, and instead of being pleased, she's absolutely horrified. >> you hair, what happened to your hair? >> the barber's still sweeping it up even as we speak. >> he got a haircut because he had gotten a job. and she goes, horrified, she goes, you cut your hair.
9:16 pm
and he says -- >> i may look like donald trump, but i still feel like jon bon jovi. >> real life sets in. he became an insurance salesman. she got a good job. pretty soon it was a routine. >> it seemed that this couple had everything going for them -- good jobs, a nice, rented home, good furniture. they even had a little dog. >> so on the surface, it looks great. it's just not gonna turn out that way. >> gregg was working a lot, and he would work at night, go to people's homes, pitch insurance policies. and pam was left alone. >> when she first met her husband, he was kind of a rocker rebel, which is why she was drawn to him. and then after marriage, segued into this very traditional role. >> her mother later told me that during this period, it seemed like pam finally stopped focusing on just work and became more social, but a little immaturely social. she started to hang around with the high school students when
9:17 pm
she went to work every day. >> gregg's working all the time. pamela is hanging out with teenagers. this marriage is getting bumpy. >> they were very young, which probably helped their marriage to deteriorate. clearly there was a dynamic that wasn't working. >> in her first year of marriage, her husband had come home and talked to her about having an affair. and i think it crushed her deeply. >> i was very much in love with my husband from the time he was my boyfriend through when he was my husband, and he had an affair. and when that happened i was devastated. i thought there was something wrong with me. i thought i wasn't good enough. >> so she was feeling like her husband had betrayed her. >> in that exclusive interview with diane sawyer, pam remembers the night her husband didn't come home from work. >> one night i went to bed and i was expecting him to come home
9:18 pm
and when i woke the next morning, he wasn't there. he was out with a friend of his, and he had been drinking so he decided to stay at his house. and it turns out that that wasn't what happened. >> what did happen? >> he had met someone, and he had stayed with her the night. >> was he sorry? was it a fight? what happened? >> i was very angry, and i was very hurt. >> did it change the marriage? >> well, i believed it made me less trustworthy. it had an effect on my self-esteem. i thought originally that it was just,en why, he and i. and now i realized that someone could come between that, and i was scared of that. >> when he cheated on her, it obviously broke her heart and changed her, changed the marriage. that's the turning point in this story. his affair. >> pam had no idea that a chance encounter was about to change
9:19 pm
her world. forever. >> i fell in love with her. i wrote this a long time ago. i don't know how old i was. i hope someday i will be on a real football team. i'm katie sowers, offensive assistant coach for the san francisco 49ers. i'm not just here to be the token female, i'm here to help us win. the surface pro helps me get what's in my head and get it out on to the field. i would want to tell this little girl to keep pushing herself, your dream's coming.
9:20 pm
9:21 pm
9:22 pm
ruh, "fifteen minutese could save you 15%ain? or more on car insurance." i think we're gonna swap over to "over seventy-five years of savings and service." what, we're just gonna swap over? yep. pump the breaks on this, swap it over to that. pump the breaks, and, uh, swap over? that's right. instead of all this that i've already-? yeah. what are we gonna do with these? keep it at your desk, and save it for next time. geico. over 75 years of savings and service.
9:23 pm
on may 1, 1990, pamela is at a school board meeting. she gets home about 10:00. she goes to the front door, and she notices that the light is out. this is odd. and she opens the front door, and in the vestibule is her husband. >> she arrived at her home and began screaming that there was something wrong with her husband.
9:24 pm
>> she starts banging on doors. somebody call 911, hurry, hurry. my husband, my husband. >> yes, um, emergency in 4e, it's, uh, summerhill condominiums, there's someone passed out. i don't know. a girl is hysterical in here. she just ran over. her husband is passed out. >> i was working as an investigative reporter in new hampshire. and the scanner radio goes off. and we understand that a young man has been murdered inside his condominium. >> the telephone calls that came to the derry police department all came from neighbors who heard her screaming and yelling. >> do you know why he's passed out there, ma'am? >> help is on the way. do you know why he's passed out? >> no, don't know. >> pamela is outside. she's sobbing. she wants to know what's going on. is there a burglar in the house? is gregg okay? is he breathing? what's happening? >> pam smart found his body. he was in the entranceway to his condominium. he was sprawled out on the ground. >> the first thing we noticed was the body of the victim, gregory smart, there appeared to be a blue towel wrapped around
9:25 pm
his head. >> he's got a bullet wound in the back of his head. this looks like a mob hit. this is an execution. >> right away police had no idea who could be responsible. >> in most cases, pretty quickly, the murders make sense. somebody's involved in gangs or drugs or there's a history of domestic dispute in their lives. in this case, here's this young man at the beginning of his life and career in insurance. he's not married a year yet to a lovely young woman, and he's dead. the police were groping for leads at the time. >> he had apparently expired, they determined, almost immediately. >> pam called the house and she was hysterical, and she screamed into the phone, mom, come quick. gregg's dead. inside i was trembling and i
9:26 pm
thought, well, maybe there's been an accident. >> people in that house that night told me that she was a wreck. she was an inconsolable mess. >> she did seem extremely shaken at the time. >> extremely emotionally distraught. >> she was soaking wet, her clothing, from sobbing. we were all a mess saying, how? why? is it true? >> in that first interview with diane sawyer, pam talks about the tragic night. >> what happened to gregg is the most horrible thing i've ever gone through in my life, and i'm still haunted every day by memories of what must have happened to him inside our house before he was killed. and although i wasn't there, i feel that because of that i'll never know how greg was feeling at the time. i keeping thinking of how afraid he must have been and how senseless this whole tragedy was.
9:27 pm
a lot of the times i still can't even believe that he's gone. >> gregg smart still has on the clothes from work. >> it looks like gregg must've walked into the middle of a botched, screwed-up burglary. >> we noticed that several things were moved. the stereo system had been ransacked. cds were laying on the floor. pillowcases had been ripped open. the stuffing had been removed. we found that the upstairs as well -- the dressers had been gone through completely. >> however, police find that gregg still has his wallet. he still has a gold wedding band on his hand. pamela reported nothing much was missing except a few little pieces of her jewelry. >> this is not a usual burglary. usually burglars in this region don't carry firearms or guns. they're not planning on any kind of confrontation at all. >> there was no forced entry at
9:28 pm
the front door or the back door. no signs, no disturbances of someone breaking in. >> something just doesn't seem right here. >> kitchen chef's knife is stuck into the ground. >> they found a marijuana cigarette, a reefer in his car. they say, well, maybe there's drugs involved. dead end. >> the next lead is that gregg might have had a gambling problem. they search phone records, and they find that he had been calling a gambling service. they go to atlantic city. maybe he owed somebody money. again, dead end. nothing there. >> every single lead that we got, all of them led to dead ends. >> at that point, they really are searching, and asking the public's help. because they, frankly, don't have a break. and they need one. >> a dead body, killed execution style. that is a stunner for derry, new hampshire. >> and then a few days after gregg smart's murder, something
9:29 pm
strange happens at his wake. a group of unidentified teenage boys show up and everyone's thinking, who are those guys? and what's their connection to gregg? >> so, after weeks of investigating by the police and nothing is happening, nothing is popping, no new information, suddenly, out of the blue -- >> a man walks into the police station with a .38 caliber revolver. >> and he says, "this is my gun. and i think it was used in the greggory smart murder case."
9:30 pm
seems like some are going at the speed of yesteryear. but not here. this is capital one. where banking moves at the speed of right now. you can open a new savings account in about 5 minutes and earn five times the national average. from here or here in our cafés. plus, there are no fees or minimums on savings or checking accounts. welcome to banking's new frontier. this is banking reimagined. what's in your wallet? you can't fake the goodness the crunch of real almonds the taste of real raspberries we use real ingredients because you can't fake... delicious special k
9:34 pm
part of me is missing, and that's gregg. >> he's gone forever. >> and he'll never be back. >> i remember it was a rather chilly day. it's always kind of very cool in new england, but this day seemed colder. you have all these young people, and they're all crying. >> i didn't want to be covering this funeral. i didn't wanna be anywhere near it. throughout the day, i kept seeing this big, vibrant, beautiful, smile. >> we can't sleep. i don't want to eat. i don't feel there's much left in my life. >> pamela smart is struggling, it seemed to me, to even make it down the walkway, she was crying so hard. it was a horrifically emotional
9:35 pm
moment. >> there is footage of me coming out of the funeral crying so bad that my father's holding me on one side and my sister's holding me on the other. i did lose my husband that i did marry, and he did love me, and i loved him. >> there's no answers. and the police can't give them any answers. and that made their grieving that much more difficult. >> he didn't deserve this. >> all i want is the people who did this sent to jail forever. >> all of these people are just shredded, just wracked with emotion over this horrendous thing. >> i'll never forget this. it was just a few days after gregg's murder. and my news director goes, i guess you'll be interviewing pamela smart today, right? we'll have a story with you and her. i'm like, yeah, that's going to happen. he's just joking with me.
9:36 pm
and, honest to god, like three minutes later, over the loudspeaker, i hear, bill spencer, you have a phone call. it's pamela smart. >> pam gave her first media interview to a local television reporter six days after gregg was murdered. >> she said she wanted to talk to me about the kind of guy that gregg was. she wanted people to know the type of person he really was. >> at that time, she appears perfectly together. she has on a prim little outfit. her makeup is perfect. >> i feel like in a whole condominium complex like ours, somebody must have seen or heard something. everybody's saying they didn't hear or see anything. and i keep thinking that i'll see him walk in, but every day and every second that passes, i realize that that won't happen. and yesterday i went out to the cemetery and that's kind of, you know, when it really hit me that he won't ever come back. >> she does appear introspective. she does appear to miss her
9:37 pm
husband. >> you know, it's awful just to think about what happened in there. you know, the only comfort i have is that it just seems to have been a situation where gregg didn't know what was happening, and he just never knew, you know, and it was really quick. >> we usually don't like to bring animals or get dogs into your interview shot, but pam invited haylen to come over. it's a little fuzzy dog. we did the whole interview with haylen sitting right there next to us. she named her dog halen because she was a van halen maniac. >> sometimes i ask myself, like can i figure where the strength is coming from? but it seems like it's coming from inside. maybe it's a part of greg or whatever that's helping me go on with everything. >> the interview kind of comes and goes with no fuss, no new witnesses coming forward, until --
9:38 pm
>> the big break for police comes on june 10, 1990, about six weeks after the murder. >> out of the blue, a grown man walks into the police station, but it's not the derry police station. it's the seabrook police station. it's about 40 miles away. where in walks this man. >> he's carrying a handgun in his hand, and he says, this is my gun. and i think it was used in the greggory smart murder case. >> they immediately call the investigators in and this would turn out to be the major break in the story. >> and he proceeds to tell the investigators that he had this gun put away in his house. and when he went to retrieve it, it looked like it had been freshly cleaned, and he knew he had not cleaned it. so, how did this happen? >> the man tells police that his son's friend, a teenager by the name of ralph welch, told him that the gun may have been used to kill gregg smart. >> police immediately get the gun.
9:39 pm
they do a ballistics comparison the two bullets match up. >> the testifies show that that gun is the weapon that killed gregg smart. it is probably the most important physical piece of evidence they're going to find. >> this is a big break for the police. >> that very same day, june 10, 1990, the police haul in that teenager ralph welch for a videotaped interview. >> okay, it's june 10th, and it's 15:24 hours by my watch. i'm detective barry cherowitz, and with me is ralph welch. >> so, ralph welch tells detective barry cherowitz about a secret conversation he had with the son the man who turned in that .38 caliber revolver. >> so, we went in, and he told me the story how it happened and who all was there.
9:40 pm
>> so police get ralph welch talking. and remember, he's a teenager talking to cops. and he spills it all. >> he told you the story about what? about how what happened? >> he told me how they did it. >> how they did what? >> killed gregg smart. >> ralph welch tells police about learning of three teenage boys who went to gregg smart's house that night with the intent to murder him. these are the thr boys that welsh names in that interview. billy flynn, pete randall, and vance aka j.r. lattime. it's startling was they're just high school kids. lattime supposedly waited in the getaway car. >> and so they went there and they broke into the place. and they set it up to make it look like a burglary. and i guess the guy tried to run or something. and they grabbed him and they threw his dog in the cellar. pete said he held the guy's head while bill shot him.
9:41 pm
>> the juveniles that were involved in the murder, beginning with billy flynn, all of them had specific problems in their lives or with the police, too. the seabrook police, they were familiar with these kids involved already. >> so peter was the one that shot him? >> no, pete said he held his head. >> did he say how he held his head? >> no, he just said he held it and bill pulled the trigger. >> but why? what was the alleged motive? welch seemed to know that too. >> did they tell you anything else about it? >> they're supposed to be getting some insurance money or something. this is just what they said from pam. like $500 or something. >> $500, is that what pam was paying them? >> that's what they said she was going to pay them. >> you're talking about pam. who's pam? >> the guy's husband -- wife. >> okay, pam smart? >> yeah.
9:42 pm
>> ralph welch is the first one who mentions pam smart's name. >> did pam pay him anything else? >> no, he just said something about insurance money or something. he mentioned like $500 apiece. >> this videotaped interview with ralph welch blows the lid off the case. >> as police begin to dig, a clue may lie in, of all places, an amateur orange juice commercial that pam helped some of the high school students produce. >> since the beginning of time, man has enjoyed the taste of pure and natural florida orange juice. i wanted more from my copd medicine that's why i've got the power of 1, 2, 3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved once-daily 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy ♪ the power of 1,2,3 ♪ trelegy ♪ 1,2,3 ♪ trelegy
9:43 pm
man: with trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works three ways to open airways, keep them open and reduce inflammation, for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. think your copd medicine is doing enough? maybe you should think again. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3. ♪ trelegy, 1,2,3 man: save at trelegy.com. (lisa) up to $3,500ck you within minutes of filing.nce ♪ trelegy, 1,2,3 (woman) we could get money in minutes? (lisa) yeah... (couple) money-in-minutes! money-in-minutes! (lisa) money-in-minutes! (couple) money-in-minutes! money-in-minutes! in-minutes! what? in-minutes! in-minutes! say what?
9:44 pm
thirty-five hundred! (lisa) they are freaking...out! (tax pro) wait until they hear it's interest free. (lisa) you could get a refund advance up to $3,500 in minutes. interest free! (vo) it's better with block. big news america! for a limited time, we've changed the shape of honey nut cheerios. because we want people to know they're delicious and can help lower cholesterol. heart healthy. get it? a heart! can you believe they had one in my size?! delivered to your car door so you can do more. try drive up at target. ♪ feels so good ♪ feels so good target run and done. ♪ ♪ country roads, take me home there's a booking for every resolution. book yours at any price, at booking.com
9:45 pm
book yours at any price, two bacon, two sausage, this is the two eggssuper slam. hash browns and pancakes and now make those pancakes all you can eat for a buck. that's where the duper comes in. the all new super duper slam just seven ninety nine. see you at denny's. looking to get your business off to a fast start in the new year? it's go time! switch to comcast business and get fast internet on the nation's largest gig-speed network. plus, complete reliability with 4g lte backup.
9:46 pm
9:47 pm
the police have finally got a direction in which to take this investigation. >> bill pulled the trigger. they're supposed to be getting some insurance money or something from pam. like, $500. >> this explosive videotaped interview gives police a clear motive and implicates pamela smart in her husband's murder. yet it comes as no surprise to police, who already think that pam has been acting bizarrely from the moment they started talking to her. >> we met with her in an interview room, and she began immediately to tell us when she
9:48 pm
opened up the door, she saw that this must've been the burglary because there were speakers off the stand. it seemed kind of strange that she had keyed in on speakers missing from a stand. it seemed at the time that her focus should have been on her husband who was laying there. >> police noticed that pam didn't seem to be very emotional when they finally got a chance to interview her hours after gregg's murder. you weren't emotive enough for people's taste. what do you make of all that? >> well, i was -- wasn't very emotional. i was in shock. >> you were the ice princess. >> yes. and i think that people's perception is interesting. i was watching something where it was jfk's funeral and jackie kennedy onassis is there and she never stood a tear.
9:49 pm
and everyone was like, "she's so stoic." nobody said she was an ice princess. >> there was no proof that pamela smart had anything to do with this. but her actions really did make a lot of people, including investigators, step back and say, wait a minute, does she have something to do with this? >> my law enforcement friends told me that after i interviewed pam smart that she became even more of a prominent suspect in their eyes because of what she said in that interview. and they said specifically she talked about things she couldn't have known about. >> it just seems to have been a situation where gregg didn't know what was happening. >> how could she know what it looked like if she was never in there. >> i expected her to break and that never came. >> sometimes i ask myself -- like, i can't figure where the strength is coming from.
9:50 pm
>> the weirdest part of the interview was we were talking about gregg, and she said something to the effect of, if you think about this, this couldn't have happened at a better time. >> you know, there's no better time in his life for this to happen. >> what? this couldn't have happened at a better time, because if you think about it, had we been married for 20 years, i would've loved him that much more. i couldn't wrap my head around that. >> when the murder first happened, you brought the media into your home and gave interviews. >> well, no, i talked to one person -- bill spencer. he was hounding every day calling us, saying that he was running with the story that gregg owed gambling debts in atlantic city and he owed money to the mafia. and they were saying, are you gonna give us a comment? because if you're not going give us a kmaecomment we're running the story. and it was like, "wait a minute. my husband's not even buried. like, what do you mean you're
9:51 pm
running with a story? because we went to atlanticty a lot. but he didn't owe anybody any money. and he wasn't killed because of that. i was pressured, basically, to try to defend him. so i did. >> i wouldn't say i pressured pamela smart into doing that interview at all. i didn't make the call to her that morning. she called me. >> pam has an answer for everything the police called suspicious. so, who do you believe? >> the police definitely don't believe pam smart. there's a whole lot of smoke, but no fire yet. they have the videotaped interview from a high school kid who says she offered $500 for murder. they find her interview peculiar, but none of this adds up to murder until they make a stunning connection. >> so these boys, it turns out, are students at the same school where pam smart works. not only do these kids go to winnacunnet high school, where pamela smart works -- she's close to them because she's working on a school project with them. now there's a connection.
9:52 pm
there's a connection between the gun, the three boys, and pamela smart. pam meets billy flynn through this project esteem that she is running at winnacunnet high school, where she talks to teenagers about their troubles, tries to help them with their issues. there's a giant dichotomy between derry, new hampshire, where pamela smart lives and seabrook, where billy flynn and these boys lived. seabrook is a gritty, working-class area. >> and in comes pamela smart. and she must have seemed like a fairy princess. >> so, billy flynn is about 16 years old. he's attending winnacunnet high school. he plays guitar. he wants to be a rock musician. there's nothing imposing about this guy. he's a skinny, guitar-playing teenager. >> i met bill, who was kind of making me feel like i was the greatest thing on the earth. >> he was charming. >> he was.
9:53 pm
and i guess at that point i was so low i needed that boost. >> you were vulnerable. >> yeah, i was. >> pam learned about a contest for high school kids in which they made a commercial about orange juice. so she got the kids together and said, hey, you can win a trip to disneyland if you wanna make this commercial. >> pam already knows billy because she's in this project self-esteem with him, and she asks him to be the cameraman. >> this put pam and billy in very close proximity. she directed it. he wrote the music for the commercial. ♪ we all need energy and vitamin c to stay healthy ♪ >> i meet pam smart, and she's beautiful. she's intelligent. you know, she's an adult, and she likes me.
9:54 pm
>> as the police begin to dig, they can't but wonder about the strange hold the pamela smart has on these teenage boys, especially the long-haired kid, billy flynn. >> the cops soon discover that pamela smart has been having an ongoing illicit affair with her teenaged student, billy flynn. >> but another student from that very same high school is about to betray pam with a secret recording. >> i'm afraid one day you're gonna come in here, and you're gonna be wired for the -- i'm going to be busted.
9:55 pm
coach saban convinced us. we are committing to aflac. why aflac? because health insurance doesn't always pay it all. aflac! after surgery we had extra bills followed up visits, deductibles. we thought health insurance had us covered up for everything, but it didn't. aflac gives you money directly to help you with those things. i want to thank my wife, my mom, the duck. get help with expenses health insurance doesn't cover. get to know us at aflac.com as parents of six, this network is one less thing i have to worry about. (vo) why the aceves family chose verizon. we all use our phones very differently. these two are always gaming and this one is always on facetime. and my oldest is learning to be a pilot. we need a reliable network because i need to know he's safe. 'cause as soon as he lands, he knows he better call mama. mama! (laughter) (vo) the network more people rely on, gives you more. like plans your family can mix and match starting at just $35. so, everyone gets the plan they need. and apple music on us.
9:56 pm
plus, iphone 11 on us when you buy the latest iphone. that's verizon. challenge what soft can be. nivea essentially enriched body lotion with nourishing serum deeply nourishes skin for a softness like never before. because soft... can be powerful. just like you. nivea. mornings were made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. when considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz xr, a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis or active psoriatic arthritis for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. it can reduce pain, swelling, and significantly improve physical function. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections like tb; don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra can increase risk of death. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened.
9:57 pm
as have tears in the stomach or intestines, serious allergic reactions, and changes in lab results. tell your doctor if you've been somewhere fungal infections are common, or if you've had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. don't let another morning go by without asking your doctor about xeljanz xr. ♪ without asking your doctor because you get matched with i la plan tailored to you!m, whether you're a dine outer, take outer, veggie person, definitely-not-just-veggie person, bread lover, or cheese lover... ...all you have to do is answer personal assessment questions and get scientifically matched with a proven weight loss plan. find out which new customized plan can make losing weight easier for you! the new program from ww. weight watchers reimagined join today with the ww triple play! hurry, offer ends january 13th. chit, chit. jif peanut butter. it's that jif-ing good, you'd dress up like a squirrel for it.
9:59 pm
black widow jailed for squalid murder. it seems like the whole world's passing by, and you know, i'm still here. they have a 22-year-old woman who's having an affair with a 16-year-old boy, and that boy is tied to the murder weapon. >> this young boy who was having an affair with her believes she has told him, the only way we can be together is if you kill my husband. >> pamela smart planned the entire murder. she's the mastermind. >> pam, did you have anything to do with hour husband's murder?
10:00 pm
>> she was the orchestrater. this is a pawn. >> people asked like i used him, went lurking through the school to look for somebody to manipulate. it wasn't like that. >> the good news is, we've got the person who murdered your husband. the bad news is, it's you. you're under arrest. it makes the headlines when three teens are arrested in the murder of gregg smart. billy flynn, vance lattime, and pete randall. >> the police have now identified the murder weapon. and they trace it back to those three boys. this is what enabled them, basically torque get these arrest warrants. >> there is a fourth suspect. raymond fowler was in the getaway car. fowler ended up being charged
10:01 pm
but other being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he seemingly did not have much to do with the murder itself. >> remember, police had been told that these boys were mere pawns and that pam smart had put them all up to it. but what was the motive? why would they kill smart? >> i'm gonna go straight to pam's condominium and get her reaction. >> i'm totally devastated by this. i can't comment. >> i was boggled by her reaction. wait a minute. they've solved your husband's murderer and you're distraught? >> i thought, oh, my god, they have the wrong person. >> you thought billy was innocent. >> i -- i -- i thought there was no way. >> these three teenagers are in custody, but they are not talking to the police. >> normally you get three teens that are arrested for something this serious, one or all of them are gonna sing. they're gonna tell exactly what happened. because they're teenagers.
10:02 pm
>> and then out of the blue, a break in the case. police actually get an anonymous phone call. >> this is detective pelletier. >> there was a young man killed, a couple of weeks ago. >> right. >> in his home. from what i have heard, the wife had planned this. >> she said the woman had planned it and there was someone that knows all about this and her name was cecelia pierce. >> cecilia pierce is a teenager who goes to winnacunnet high school. she is the intern of pamela smart. >> they had worked together on that o.j. video. ♪ you still need energy and vitamin c to keep in shape and stay healthy ♪ >> police interviewed cecilia and that recording appeared in a documentary for discovery id called "pamela smart: an american murder mystery." >> what kind of relationship do you have with pam? >> really close. she's kind of like a big sister.
10:03 pm
>> the revelations she makes are stunning. >> they were friends, and then they were having an affair. >> how did you find out about the affair? >> pam told me that she was in love with bill. and obviously, they were having sex because i walked in on them. >> bill flynn was a juvenile, just 16 years old. cecelia tells police that one night she, billy flynn and pam smart are watching a movie, "9 1/2 weeks." >> during the movie, pam smart and billy flynn go upstairs. cecelia follows and actually walks in on the two having sex. >> this is a bombshell. imagine what the police are thinking at this point. they have a 22-year-old woman who's having an affair with a 16-year-old boy. and that boy is tied to the murder weapon that was used to
10:04 pm
kill the woman's husband. these are big pieces of a puzzle they're putting together here. >> you were technically an adult and he was underaged. >> absolutely. >> that relationship seems predatory. >> it was totally wrong. it was actually very difficult, because i had feelings for my husband. i loved him. and i also had developed feelings for bill. and i knew that i couldn't continue like this. it wasn't, you know, gonna work like this forever. it was only a short relationship. >> you've had several bombshells in this case, but another one is about to explode. cecelia reveals that she has heard the whole story -- the conversations between billy flynn and pam, and that she has heard that pam wanted to get rid of gregg. >> according to cecelia pierce, pamela smart planned the entire murder. she's the mastermind.
10:05 pm
>> we're gonna conduct an audio surveillance of one pamela smart using a confidential informant. >> they decide to ask cecelia to get wired up, wear a taping device under her clothes. >> and she goes to visit pam at her office. >> the trap is set. will pam fall in? >> hi, how are you? >> good. >> cecelia tells pam that the cops have called her in for questioning about the murder. >> pretty much, they -- they established that yeah, you had gregg killed. >> but why, though? >> because they can't think of any other reason why bill and them would do it. >> yeah, but even if i asked somebody to kill somebody, you'd have to be [ bleep ] deranged to say, okay, i will. you know what i mean? whether someone asks you to or not. >> as far as i can see it, bill did it because he loves you. >> she doesn't break into tears. she doesn't deny it. nothing!
10:06 pm
that's very telling. >> let me tell you how out of whack i was. okay, the day before this, i had a lawyer, and he calls me up and he says, whatever you do, don't talk to her. because she's coming in and she's going to be wired. >> that's an astonishing admission. she says her lawyer warned her, cecelia's dangerous. she could be wearing a wire if you talk to her. and yet she still does. >> i'm afraid one day you're gonna come in here and you're gonna be wired for the [ bleep ] police, and i'm gonna be busted. give me some signal that -- if you ever come down to me and you're wired, that you're gonna give me. >> why would you need that if in fact you did have nothing to do with it and you weren't part of all of this? >> now, remember, cecelia acknowledges that she knew in advance about the murder, and that's when pam issues what seems like an ominous warning. >> i'm just sick of lying, you know? >> well, you know, i'm just telling you, you know, if you tell the truth, you're gonna be
10:07 pm
an accessory to murder. >> right. >> now you know you're gonna be on the witness stand. like, he's gonna put you on there. and then he'll say, "did you know?" and you're gonna say no. "did pam do it?" "no." if you tell the [ bleep ] truth, you're probably going to be arrested. >> pam is really concerned about cecelia now, so she's telling cecelia to basically lie. >> and even if you're not arrested, you're gonna have to go and you're gonna have to send bill, you're gonna have to send pete, you have to send j.r., and you're gonna have to send me to the [ bleep ] slammer for the rest of our entire life. and unfortunately, that's the situation you're in. >> sounds like you're in something. >> it does. my great, brilliant idea that i had was that i was gonna go in and have these conversations with her to make her feel, like, more comfortable so she could tell me whatever she was gonna tell me. all i wanted to know was, did this guy really kill my husband? more than anything i wanted this
10:08 pm
not to be true because i felt responsible. >> ultimately the wire that cecilia pierce wore became the reason the police were able to go and arrest pamela smart. >> the good news is, we've got the person that murdered your husband. the bad news is, it's you. you're under arrest. ♪ ♪ be you dust or ♪ be you a star ♪ to be what you must, just ♪ reach out for what you are ♪ ♪ and though you've traveled ♪ many roads ♪ there's but one way ♪ the one you chose ♪ ♪ ♪
10:09 pm
♪ i have moderate to severe pnow, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are getting clearer, yeah i feel free ♪ ♪ to bare my skin ♪ yeah that's all me. ♪ nothing and me go hand in hand ♪ ♪ nothing on my skin ♪ that's my new plan. ♪ nothing is everything. keep your skin clearer with skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. of those, nearly 9 out of 10 sustained it through 1 year. and skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. ♪ i see nothing in a different way ♪ ♪ and it's my moment so i just gotta say ♪ ♪ nothing is everything skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs, or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. as fevers, sweats, ♪ nothing is everything ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. ♪
10:10 pm
10:11 pm
10:12 pm
have cecelia call her at her office one last time. >> media center. >> hey. >> hi. cecelia? >> yeah. >> what going on? i was just thinkin' of you this morning. >> on that call, pam does confess to feeling guilty about something. she says she's feeling real remorse, but it doesn't have anything to do with her husband. >> you should've seen me when i hit a rabbit. i couldn't avoid it. it came totally bouncing down the road. a felt like [ bleep ] i felt like ---. >> over killing a rabbit? >> yeah. >> well, it's road kill. >> i can't believe that you felt bad about running over a rabbit but not about gregg. >> i do feel bad about gregg, but i feel bad about the rabbit, too. >> that afternoon the police arrive at pam's office, and she has a lot more to answer for than running over a rabbit. >> exactly three months from the
10:13 pm
day that her husband was murdered, on august 1, 1990, the police finally arrest pamela smart. >> pam, did you have anything to do with our husband's murder? >> i was really not worried about it, because i knew that i hadn't done anything wrong. i'm thinking, this is gonna get straightened out. >> she was charged with accomplice to first-degree murder. >> but at this point, the case against pam is entirely circumstantial. >> the boys are in custody, but they are refusing to speak. >> they have convinced themselves that they will go free once they turn 18 if they just keep their mouth shut. >> they suddenly learn -- the prosecutors are telling them that, it doesn't matter that you're teenagers. we are gonna try you as adults. >> they were looking at a lifetime in the penitentiary. suddenly they got very chatty. >> they changed, and they became her accuser, and she became the
10:14 pm
person who planned it all. and then they were able to make a deal with the prosecution for lighter sentences. >> sometimes to put the devil in jail, you got to go to hell to get your witnesses. >> my name is paul maggioto. i'm assistant attorney general. what did bill tell you? >> that he had -- that if him and pam were to get a divorce -- a divorce, that pam would get nothing. and that he hit her, treated her lousy. just there was no way that bill and pam could continue their relationship with gregg alive. >> my impression of vance lattime was, wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. you know, he had to sit there and wonder, "how did you let yourself get involved in this?" but he was extremely loyal to bill. >> did you ever go to pam smart's office with bill flynn?
10:15 pm
>> yeah. i went in and when we went in she was on the telephone, she put the phone on speaker phone so everybody could hear that she was in a fight with her husband, gregg. and they were screaming back and forth, and then when they hung up she goes -- she says to bill, now you see why i have to have it done. >> you listen to those interrogations and you're struck by how they say pam was just determined to get this done. >> how often would you talk to pam about doing it? >> she would bring it up almost every day. she said she hated him. >> she started yelling at me, saying, well, if you're never going to do this, i want to know right now, so we can end this right now, because i don't want to go on like this. >> billy flynn comes across as a kid trying to act like a man because he's in a man's relationship with pam smart, and i think he wants to stand up and prove to her that he's that guy. >> but finally police get down
10:16 pm
to the deed itself in the interrogation room. >> what did you expect you were getting out of this? >> i was told that i'd get $500. >> did bill tell you where the 500 bucks was coming from? >> he said it was coming from pamela smart. >> do you know how much insurance money pam was supposed to be inheriting? >> $140,000. >> so, a lot was made of this $140,000 insurance policy, that this was about sex and greed. >> right, which makes no sense whatsoever, because i had a very good job. i made a lot of money for myself at that age that i was. i mean, i guess everybody needs money, but i really made my own money. >> the teens lay it all out. they say pam told them to ransack the house and make it look like a robbery. >> okay, now, was there any conversation about the gun? >> uh, yes. she asked if we had it. and then bill said yes.
10:17 pm
>> the teens' interrogation tapes were textbook classic. they revealed every detail. >> so did they concoct this, as teenagers frequently do, to protect each other? yeah, it wasn't us. it was pam. or did pam really help them? was she the mastermind of this whole conspiracy to murder plot? >> so now since the boys have turned, they have enough to take it to trial. >> the trial was a sensation. the local station, wmur, starts to preempt soap operas to cover this trial, because what they have is a soap opera taking place in a courtroom. >> spectators had been arriving shortly after midnight just to get a seat. >> what were you doing with our right hand? >> i had a nave knife in it. >> what happened next? >> i was supposed to cut his throat. ed plan...
10:18 pm
(sprintern) ...and the powerful new iphone 11 (paul) ...included for just $35 a month when you switch. (sprintern) whoa. what a deal. (paul) and, sprint has a 100% total satisfaction guarantee. while i think their network and savings are great, you don't just have to take my word for it. try it out and see the savings for yourself. so, take it to 11, with iphone 11 at sprint! for people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay.com. ♪ only lexus asks questions like these. because we believe the most amazing machines are inspired by you. experience the rewards of our curiosity. and mine super soft? yes. with the sleep number 360 smart bed, on sale now, you can both adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting.
10:19 pm
so, can it help us fall asleep faster? yes, by gently warming your feet. but can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. so, you can really promise better sleep? not promise... prove. only at a sleep number store. save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed, now only $1,799. only for a limited time my grandparents that i never knew.ch about i'm a lawyer now, but i had no idea that my grandfather was a federal judge in guatemala. my grandfather used his legal degree and his knowledge to help people that were voiceless in his country. that put a fire in my heart. it made me realize where i got my passion for social justice. bring your family history to life like never before. get started for free at ancestry.com when your little angela expects a lot from you.... uh, you've got to be kidding me, little dude.
10:20 pm
10:21 pm
♪ 1990. well, that, you know, that means you have hair bands giving way to grunge out of seattle, bands like nirvana. ♪ here we are now, entertain us ♪ >> shows like "cheers" are popular. >> it's the a dog eat dog world, does that mean i'm wearing milk bone underwear? >> in new hampshire, the local station, wmur, starts to preempt soap operas to cover this trial. >> i dreamt i spent the entire evening with my sexy husband. >> because what they have is a soap opera taking place in a courtroom. the case had all of those elements -- sex, and betrayal and murder.
10:22 pm
>> the trial was a sensation, in part because it was at the dawn of cameras being in the courtroom. and so people could tune into their local station and watch wall-to-wall coverage. >> it ushered in a whole new era, a whole new genre, for tv. court trials. >> and before you know it, it becomes nationwide news. >> the media coverage was intense. >> in new hampshire, pamela smart is on trial in what seems like the plot to a very bad movie. >> it was a tsunami of attention. most of it was negative. >> many people very likely had already formed an opinion of pam smart before the trial ever started. >> we did not have a jury that was sequestered, so, naturally, we were concerned that they were going to be affected. >> ladies and gentlemen, it was that woman who initiated, orchestrated, and directed
10:23 pm
william flynn to kill her husband. >> according to the state, billy flynn committed murder because pam smart put him up to it, luring him with money and sex. but according to the defense, billy flynn committed murder out of a jealous rage. >> what will be coming before you from prosection witnesses will probably be one of the most vile concoctions ever assembled in one courtroom in the state of new hampshire. the main takeaway that we wanted the jury to get is that the state of new hampshire made a deal with the devil. >> the prosecutor made a plea deal agreement with pete randall and billy flynn, the two who had actually committed the murder. >> j.r. lattime who was the get away driver, also cut a deal. >> by pleading guilty and agreeing to testify, they had a chance at getting out of jail someday. and they took it.
10:24 pm
>> in a nice clear voice, would you please state your name so that everyone in the jury box can hear it? >> patrick allan randall. >> randall came across as a little -- little matter of fact. some people described it as cold. i'd like to call your attention to may 1, 1990. can you tell me what you did after school? >> i went to haverhill to pick up j.r.'s grandmother's car in order to go to derry to kill greggory smart. >> the goal is to show that pamela smart, with evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, masterminded this murder. >> can you tell us what you said to the defendant and what she said to you? >> she told me that she'd leave the backdoors unlocked. not who hurt her dog. and that we could ransack the apartment, the condo, take what we wanted. and wait for gregg to come home. and when gregg came home we were going to kill him. >> what else was said at that time? >> i felt that stabbing gregg
10:25 pm
would be a lot easier than shooting him. and told me that if i was to stab him it'd probably get blood everywhere. and not to get blood on the sofa. >> it was downright strange to listen to him describe so matter of factly, so unemotionally, him participating in the killing of gregg smart. >> when gregg came in through the door, he opened up the door and called to his dog. and bill grabbed him, pulled him in the house, and he was screaming and trying to run out. he switched and started asking about his dog. and i just told him his dog was okay, don't worry about it, you know, we won't hurt your dog. >> randall says he then holds a knife to gregg's throat and orders him to hand over the wedding ring he's wearing. >> he told me he couldn't give it to me. >> why? >> he said his wife would kill him. >> he just looked sinister.
10:26 pm
you know how a shark, his eyes don't look like they're living. looks like he's dead. >> what happened next? >> i was supposed to cut his throat. >> did you at that time? >> no, i did not. >> why not? >> i couldn't do it. >> why couldn't you do it? >> because of some of the things he said, and because i couldn't do it. >> what happened after that? >> bill took the gun out and shot him. >> he certainly came across as someone who didn't seem as bothered as you might think he would be for having been involved in this crime. >> what was your motivation for taking part in this murder? >> bill was my friend, and i didn't want to see him get caught committing murder, and there were financial gains. >> your peers have a huge influence on what you do and don't do. but billy was probably admired. the power of teen friendships is very strong. you get a bunch of misguided
10:27 pm
kids, who feel like they've shown up for one another, that they're helping one another, they may not truly understand that committing homicide crosses a line that should never be crossed. >> the state calls vance lattime. >> lattime was a bit different in that he wasn't there for the actual murder. he was in the car outside. >> pam had asked how she should -- how should she react when she comes home and finds gregg dead? she had asked one of us, should she scream, run house to house, or just run and tell the police? you know, how should she react? >> you get a sense of just how amateurish these teens really were. lattime says he made fun of randall and flynn for buying latex gloves that were too thin to even hide their fingerprints. >> and why was that funny? >> because i figured for all this planning we were supposedly
10:28 pm
doing for this murder they want so bad, they should have a better set of gloves than them. they decided to stop at a store and put scotch tape around each of their fingers and then put the gloves on over the tape. to prevent fingerprints. >> you know, in every big trial there's that one "aha" moment, the moment everybody remembers? with simpson it was the glove. in this case, it was pam smart and a white strapless bikini, posing suggestively on a bed. ♪ at walgreens, we understand the speed of life never slows down. that's why we're helping you get the care and attention you deserve even faster. that's our promise. now, you can skip the line with walgreens express, get in and out quickly with 24-hour locations, or have your prescriptions delivered whenever you need us, we're always just minutes away. walgreens.
10:29 pm
you can't fake the goodness the crunch of real almonds the taste of real raspberries we use real ingredients because you can't fake... delicious special k sleep this amazing? that's a zzzquil pure zzzs sleep. our liquid has a unique botanical blend, while an optimal melatonin level means no next-day grogginess. zzzquil pure zzzs. naturally superior sleep. the 2 for 5 mix and match deal choose from some of your all-time favorites. ♪ it's time to celebrate. because 2 for 5 mix and match is back. ♪ ba da ba ba ba i wrote this a long time ago. i don't know how old i was. i hope someday i will be on a real football team. i'm katie sowers, offensive assistant coach for the san francisco 49ers. i'm not just here to be the token female, i'm here to help us win. the surface pro helps me get what's in my head
10:30 pm
10:31 pm
to deal with the problem.icians but they wouldn't. so we took it to the voters and forced big tobacco to pay its share of healthcare costs. we fought oil companies for new clean air laws and closed a billion dollar corporate tax loophole to fund public schools. by going directly to the people we got results. that's not something you see a lot of from washington these days. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message. let's make change happen.
10:32 pm
10:33 pm
>> if this story were a made for tv movie, and it surely will be, you might not believe it. >> nobody really understands that these guys were not angels. >> bear in mind, billy flynn's sidekick pete randall was involved with several thefts, and billy himself also admitted to a burglary. >> when billy flynn took the stand he seemed to be every bit the virgin that the prosecution painted him in the opening statements. >> can you tell us the first time it was ever physical? she was saying well, are you going to kiss me?" and i said, "yeah." and she said, "yeah, well do i have to come over there and rape you?" and i said, "yeah." >> basically, if you believed billy flynn, you didn't need anything else. >> now take us back to her driving home that night. what happened. >> she started crying, and she's saying that the only way we'd be able to be together is if we killed gregg. >> bill flynn is supposed to be so innocent that he was
10:34 pm
manipulated by me, right? but at the same time, he was smart enough to manipulate his friends to go kill a person they've never even met. >> she said anybody that helped me could have anything in the house because she's insured. the stereo system, bose speakers, jewelry. >> where'd the defendant say she'd be? >> at a meeting. so she'd have an alibi when it happened. >> i wanted to get up and -- and say stop lying. >> you think he lied to get a lesser sentence? >> absolutely. i know he lied. >> you know in every big trial there's that one "aha" moment, the moment everybody remembers? with simpson it was the glove. in this case, it was pam smart and a white strapless bikini, posing suggestively on a bed. >> as if this super sensational trial isn't crazy enough already -- my god. >> they were made between her and a friend, a girlfriend, for
10:35 pm
a modeling contest. they took photos of each other. >> those photographs made it into court, and the prosecution claimed that she had deliberately taken those to be seductive, to get billy flynn to do her bidding to kill her husband. >> she said she didn't want them, she was just going throw them out, and if i wanted them i could have them. >> when those photographs come in, you can see it kind of was overwhelming for a, a teenage boy. this was, a lot of sex for a 16-year-old to have. uh, and you can get that sense that it had a lot of influence on him, lot of power over him. enough to make him kill. >> the prosecution said, see? here's more examples of pam using her wiles to keep this boy besotted by her. not at all. >> pam's side of the story is that she denies ever letting flynn see those photos. >> of all the people that took the witness stand, i think people were more moved by
10:36 pm
billy flynn than anyone else. >> i heard greg walking out towards the door. >> how was it that you overpowered him? >> well -- he wasn't struggling very much he was just asking what was going on. >> what'd you tell him? >> i just told him to shut up. i took the gun -- out of my pocket. >> then what happened? >> i cocked the handle back and i pointed the gun at his head. >> after you pointed the gun at his head what did you do? >> i just stood there. >> how long was it? >> a hundred years it seemed like. i said, um -- god forgive me.
10:37 pm
>> after you said, god forgive me, what happened? >> i pulled the trigger. >> he started crying, and i'm looking at the jury, and i'm seeing that they -- it looks like they feel sorry for him. i wanted to scream. >> he killed somebody, a defenseless man on his knees. yet he became sympathetic on that stand because he was so young, so emotional. and pam smart is sitting over at that defense table, she is the orchestrator. this was just a pawn. >> okay, so you're saying that pam made you kill gregg? >> i performed the act, yes, but i never would have done it if pam didn't tell me too. >> you were just like a machine or something like that? >> she's the first girl i ever
10:38 pm
loved. >> now it's the defenses turn to make their case, and in a bold move they put pamela smart herself on the stand. >> the courtroom was hushed. she was, again, dressed in her prim and proper little outfit with her hair done perfectly with a big bow. >> raise your right hand, please. >> she was insistent upon taking the stand. >> pamela ann smart. >> to make sure the jury know that she did not kill her husband. >> why did you marry gregg smart? >> because i loved him. i wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. >> did you have any problems? >> gregg didn't come home one night. he told me that he had been -- he had been with someone else. >> how did you react to that? >> mad. >> because she had no expression, was immediately convicted as an ice princess and a cold-blooded killer. maybe if pam had cried, things would be different.
10:39 pm
>> the defense argument was that pamela smart fully admitted she'd had an affair with a teenage boy. >> well, i didn't set out to have an affair with him. but i did. >> pamela smart had broken the affair off and he got mad, and that was his retribution, to kill her husband in cold blood. >> i told him that i didn't want to have a relationship with him anymore, and he started crying, and he said that he couldn't live without me. >> it's a huge risk in any trial for the defendant to take the witness stand, because you're then subject to cross-examination by people who do it for a living. >> you said when you heard bill flynn was arrested, you said, oh, my god, they heard about affair. they arrested the wrong person. of course you went right to the police to straighten that out didn't you? >> no, because i thought if the police knew that i had an affair with bill they would automatically conclude that i was involved with the murder. and also the police never asked me. >> oh, they didn't ask you!
10:40 pm
>> i believe it was a huge mistake to put pam smart on the stand. she was destroyed. she was torpedoed on cross-examination. >> you made a lot of mistakes so far in this case. >> i sure have. yes, i have. >> was killing your husband one of those mistakes? >> no, it wasn't. >> was not getting a divorce, maybe that was one of the mistakes? you should've gotten divorced, but you didn't? >> no. i didn't wanna get divorced. >> will the defendant please rise and face the jury? >> i felt like the jury was either going to be hung or they were going to find me guilty. i thought there was no chance at that point that the jury was gonna say i was innocent. >> juror number one, is the defendant guilty or not guilty? >> the verdict that was about to be handed down was swift, the punishment severe. and yet three years later, it was still must see tv when diane sawyer landed the only interview with the triggerman himself, billy flynn. >> bill flynn, we asked him, if
10:41 pm
there were one question he could ask you what it would be. >> i think i know what it's going to be. >> wait. what do you think it's going to be? ht and getting those steps in? on it! dimitri thinks he's doing all he can to manage his type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but is his treatment doing enough to lower his heart risk? [sfx: glasses clanking.] sorry. maybe not. jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and it lowers a1c! jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction. do not take jardiance if you are on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? on it...
10:42 pm
with jardiance. ask your doctor about jardiance. with jardiance. (worried) i'm not picking it up. you pick it up! i'm not picking it up! i'll pick it up! they're clean! (raps) 'cuz my hiney's clean. oh yeah i'm charmin clean. charmin ultra strong just cleans better. enjoy the go with charmin. challenge what soft can be. nivea essentially enriched body lotion with nourishing serum deeply nourishes skin for a softness like never before. because soft... can be powerful. just like you. nivea.
10:43 pm
when you never lower your standards, only your fares, it's a better class of sale. emirates. fly better trumpand total disaster.mplete let obamacare implode. nurse: these wild attacks on healthcare hurt the patients i care for. i've been a nurse in new york for thirty years. i know the difference leadership can make because i saw what mike bloomberg did as mayor. vo: mayor bloomberg helped lower the number of uninsured by 40%, covering 700,000 more new yorkers, life expectancy increased. he helped expand health coverage to 200,000 more kids and upgraded pediatric care--- infant mortality rates dropped to record lows. and as mayor, mike bloomberg
10:44 pm
always championed reproductive health for women. so when you hear mike bloomberg on health care... mrb: this is america. we can certainly afford to make sure that everybody that needs to see a doctor can see a doctor, everybody that needs medicines to stay healthy can get those medicines. nurse: you should know, he did it as mayor, he'll get it done as president. mrb: i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message.
10:45 pm
will the defendant please rise? madam fore lady, would you please stand? has the jury reached a verdict on each of the three offenses charged? >> yes, we have. >> the adrenaline starts running through your body and your heart's pumping. >> after 13 hours of deliberation, it all came down to this. >> that's not that long. usually quick verdicts mean a jury's going to acquit. >> how say you? is the defendant guilty or not guilty of the offense charged? >> guilty. >> gregg smart's family let out a howl. on pam's side of the courtroom, her parents just sat in deathly silence, crushed.
10:46 pm
>> she went from finding out whether she was guilty or innocent to being sentenced within a matter of minutes. >> i am required and do hereby sentence you to the new hampshire state prison for women for the remainder of your life without the possibility of parole. >> mr. smart, you're in the custody of the sheriff. this hearing is adjourned. >> our feelings were overjoyed. i just don't know how to explain it. i just -- i wanted to scream and holler and jump and everything. >> the entire smart family went to gregg's grave, and they knelt by the grave and they formed a circle. and they told him it was finally over, that pam had been convicted and she was going to go to prison. >> i remember diane sawyer interviewed pamela smart, and i was riveted. >> tonight, pamela smart. her first interview since the arrest. >> even four years after the murder, the country was still transfixed. >> i didn't really consider bill to be a kid.
10:47 pm
i guess age-wise, he was, but at the time i just felt that he was more mature. >> she also got the only interview ever with billy flynn. >> i was still in love with pam. that trial was one of the hardest things i've ever done in my life, ever. >> i guess it's hard for a lot of people to think that you could do something like that for love. >> that was the whole world to me back then. i fell in love with her, then she was really all i had, you know? >> if you're in the hands of somebody who is older, they're going to have power to manipulate and to guide, and you can't always trust that. they're just not old enough to make that decision. the frontal cortex is not fully developed yet, so their ability to really think through consequences for their choices is not in place. >> perhaps the most memorable moment in the diane sawyer special is when she tells pam smart about a revealing question she asked billy flynn. >> we ask him if there were one
10:48 pm
question he could ask you, what it would be. and here's what he said. >> i think i know what it's going to be. >> wait, what do you think it's going to be? >> did you really love me? no? >> if you could ask her one question, what would it be? >> whether or not she really ever loved me. you know, in hindsight, that might not seem like a very big deal to most people, but -- knowing that she had me do this and that i did go through with it and that she never really loved me would probably kill me. >> yes, i did. i think i did really love him.
10:49 pm
>> if i were to ask you that question again now, does -- is there a more nuanced answer? did you love him? >> i feel like i loved him. i cared for him. i had feelings. you know, people act like i just used him, you know, and went lurking through the school looking for somebody to manipulate and it was just -- really wasn't even hike that. >> for this broadcast her mother, linda wojas, traveled to new york as part of her never-ending quest to win her daughter's freedom. you've been a tireless advocate. >> you would be, too, i would hope. >> do you think your daughter had a fair trial? >> no. >> why? >> the three things you're supposed to do from the u.s. supreme court -- when you have publicity attendant to her like -- as in her trial, 1,200 newspaper articles screaming her guilt, is you put in safeguards. stay the trial while the publicity abates.
10:50 pm
you change the venue, and you sequester the jury. judge gray refused motion after motion to do any of that. >> i don't think it was necessary. i don't know about everybody else. but i got the sense that 12 good people, told not to watch tv, can pull that feat off without much difficulty. >> the reality is, however, that no matter where you try pam smart, a jury will likely convict her based on the evidence. she tried the appeals process. she exhausted every appeal. >> remember pamela smart? today, the us supreme court turned down her final appeal. >> what happened with pam is that people see her as having committed a sin more than a crime. her sin was the affair with the young boy. >> pam's advocates and a growing chorus believe she got a bad deal because she's a woman. >> it's an old, old sin. and it's the same one, you know, that goes back to adam and eve, where adam plea bargains with god and gets a reduced sentence
10:51 pm
and eve gets the book thrown at her. >> pamela smart has now been in jail for nearly three decades. but the boys finished serving their time. >> it sort of made me sick knowing that these kids were going to get out of jail long before pam smart ever would. in my mind, they were more guilty than she was. i mean, these are some bad people. >> even if you believe she's guilty, which i don't, the actual killers, who said, "yes, we murdered him," are walking around and having their lives. and she deserves better. >> pam smart has had to watch time and time again as other women who'd actually pulled the trigger that killed their victims walk out of prison after serving less time than she has. carolyn warmus, the infamous
10:52 pm
fatal attraction murderess, shot her victim 9 times , and yet got out after 27 years. margaret rudin, a woman was convicted of shooting and dismembering husband walked out of jail today after serving 20 years. >> pam said to me, "you know, mom, el chapo has the same sentence i do." . >> it's one thing for pam's mom to rail against the sentence, but you might be surprised what the prosecutor who put her in prison thinks now. >> i'm not making a personal statement about pam. what i'm saying is i don't know if it's fair for anybody who's been sentenced to life without parole to be in jail for the rest of their life. i don't know if that's fair, okay? >> there's a petition online. >> clearly, you're never going to give up. >> no. no, i won't. i just hope god lets me live long enough to see her free. >> so, it turns out there is one thing pa
10:53 pm
(pirate girl) ahoy!!!!! (excited squeal, giggling/panting) gotcha! (man) ah! (girl) nooooooooooooo! (man) nooooo! (girl) nooooo... (vo) quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker, and is two times more absorbent than the leading ordinary brand. (man and pirate girl) ahoy! (laughing) (vo) bounty, the quicker picker upper. ♪ unlock the cinnaverse with cinnamon toast crunch.
10:54 pm
delivered to your car door so you can do more. try drive up at target. ♪ feels so good ♪ feels so good target run and done. when we first met. i thought you'd control every part of me. overwhelm me. define me. but i found a way to give myself more space. i met ocrevus, an infusion treatment that's two times a year. for adults with relapsing or primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, ocrevus is proven effective in reducing relapses in rms, and slowing disability progression in rms and ppms. don't take ocrevus if you've had a life threatening allergic reaction to it, or if you have hepatitis b. tell your doctor about vaccinations or if you've had hep b, as it could come back. ocrevus can cause infusion reactions that may require hospitalization. it can increase your risk of infections. while no cases of pml were reported in clinical trials, it could happen. an increased risk of cancer, including breast cancer, may exist.
10:55 pm
10:56 pm
the inmates one night? >> did you get the gun? >> not -- not yet. >> "to die for." and this fictionalized version of her life would now be taken as gospel. >> i just want to know when -- >> it's just i don't know. never, jesus. >> look if you don't know i guess i'll have to find somebody who does. >> she felt that she got a lot of attention and a lot of abuse in prison as a result of that movie and people thinking they knew who she was. >> she was attacked by two inmates who thought she was a snitch. >> they beat her and really harmed her permanently. they fractured a orbital lobe in her eye. she's got a plate on the side of her face. >> it's been much easier for her in later years. >> she has been a model prisoner in every way. she's tutored other prisoners. she's been part of the ministry behind bars.
10:57 pm
>> she's gotten two master's degrees. >> pamela smart made a last ditch, hail mary attempt. >> we submitted a petition for sentence commutation. >> dear governor sununu, without executive intervention, i will die in prison. >> it was peppered with testimonials from all kinds of people of substance, people from all walks of life. >> her time is spent in helping other inmates, educating and inspiring them. >> i was struck by the letters of support, and then i got to the memo that she personally wrote. >> although i never wanted nor asked mr. flynn to murder gregg. >> she had claimed she had no involvement with his death. how do i trust someone who hasn't even come to terms with her own responsibility for the death of her husband?
10:58 pm
>> the vote was four against giving her any kind of sentence relief. >> there are some who say, well, if you just admit to your wrong doing, and apologize, that that might bring you some leniency. >> it's been a dilemma for anybody who's in prison that says that they're not guilty of whatever crime they're accused of. >> i even asked her to do that. >> you did? >> yeah. >> why? >> so she could come home. so she could come home. >> when i first got arrested i thought it was everybody's fault but my own that i was here. it's been, you know, almost three decades and it hurts. i know that ultimately i didn't ask for bill flynn to kill my husband or want him to that if i never had the relationship i had with him my husband would still be alive, so i take responsibility for his death. >> what does redemption mean to
10:59 pm
you? >> it means that we don't define people by the very worst thing they did in life. people change, and grow over time. >> the victims get lost in the story of sensational defendants. this isn't the gregg smart case. maybe it should be. that should be the way we are remembering him. >> excellent point. in the gregg smart case, pamela smart will be eligible to have her sentence commuted next year. >> the outcome depends on whether or not she accepts any responsibility. that's "20/20" for tonight. >> we can finally say it's "20/20" in 2020. good night. >> good night.
11:00 pm
984 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
KGO (ABC) Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on