opera. >> unfortunately it was my life and wasn't a soap opera for me. >> it was tv's first blockbuster trial. scandalous and sensational. >> her sexuality was the star of the pam smart show. >> the explosion of flashbulbs. it's body heat, it's fatal attraction. >> pamela smart accused of bewitching a teenage student into murdering her husband. >> i pulled the trigger. another look at the frenzy. >> it was just crazy. >> the trial. >> i made a mistake. >> was killing your husband one of those mistakes? >> no. >> it's not at all who she was or is. >> the case some say changed the way americans witnessed justice. >> i don't know enough will ever be enough for anyone in this case. pamela smart liv. the beautiful, young widow stepped hello and welcome to dateline. you've heard about it. pamela part lived it. the beautiful young widow from her small town into america's most gripping trial. a very real drama that inspired a hollywood hit movie. now you're about to hear the chilling story from the woman at the center of it all. here is deadly secret. >> you were the biggest show in town? >> it was. at the time. >> i mean this story, people couldn't get enough of it. >> nope. >> when i look back at the footage, i looked like a baby and so young and so afraid. >> before the menendez brothers or even o.j., pamela smart was television's first true crime celebrity. >> it's like i'm frozen forever and my worst mistake. the story begins in the old milltown of dairy, new hampshire. 22-year-old pamela smart had come home late from work to find her 24-year-old husband, gregg, sprawled out on the floor of their home. >> it's six days before your first anniversary. take us to that night. what happened when you walked in the door? >> i saw gregg on the ground in front of the entrance. i called for him and he didn't respond. >> did you try to shake him? >> no. >> you're just calling his name? >> i called his name and i just ran that fast. >> did you go to the neighbor, and what does the neighbor do? call 911? >> i don't even remember after that. >> yes, um, emergency in 4e. summer hill condominium. >> what's going on there? >> there is someone passed out, i don't know, a girl is hysterical in here. she just ran over and her husband is passed out in 4e. >> reporter: daniel pelletier was the lead detective in the case. >> i found mrs. smart outside yelling, screaming that her husband had been hurt. >> it wasn't until way after the police were there, his parents were there, all of that. his father said why aren't you helping my son? and the police officer said because he's dead. >> what's that moment like? >> his father hit the floor, i hit the floor, his mother passed out. it was just, it was crazy. >> we determined through the medical examiner it was a gunshot wound. it was actually at the top left of his skull, entered through there. >> when i got to her parent's house, we both sobbed. >> reporter: sonya thornton- simon was a friend of gregg and pamela smart's. >> she was in a fetal position crying. trying to figure out who could have done this. >> the way things were set up and the amount of things that were disturbed. the stereo had been removed from the stereo rack and pulled out. there were speakers pulled up. there were jewelry boxes overturned. >> it looked like a burglary gone bad. that's kind of what we were seeing and hearing. the police weren't saying anything. >> reporter: the reporter for the new hampshire union leader. >> we heard at one point that they were looking for someone who might have traded in some jewelry. we picked it up on the police scanner. >> reporter: but the burglary gone bad theory had some problems. >> that didn't really make a lot of sense because the time of day in a neighborhood like that. there were a lot of residents there. >> it was looking like an execution. maybe there was more to the story. >> and police always look at the spouse? they just have to talk to them. did they interview you? >> they did. i spent hours with the police. i spent hours at the police station and the days after that. >> did you feel like you were a suspect? >> not at all. >> did you feel they were suspicious of you? >> not at all. >> reporter: gregg smart's short life was over. now as police tried to find out who killed him. life for his young widow is about to enter a strange new reality. what happened next would raise questions about justice and fairness that are still being asked today. who would want gregg smart dead? a bone chilling rumor provides a crucial clue. coming up. students with a deadly secret about to be revealed. >> if they hadn't told people, i'm not sure how this would have turned out. >> reporter: and one of those students had an intimate connection to pam smart. >> somebody came and told me he had a crush on me or something. i thought it was cute, but i wasn't interested. >> you're the grown up here. >> that's right. i sure was. >> when dateline continues. crc by dermatologists and allergists, that helps heal your child's skin from within. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your child's eczema specialist about dupixent. 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[♪♪] fast relief of allergies with nasal congestion, so you can breathe better. claritin plus decongestant. live claritin clear®. everybody wants super straight, super white teeth. they want that hollywood white smile. new sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24/7 sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product. it's going to help a lot of patients. i think it's a great pandrea canning: a well-liked, young man had been gunned down at home in a quiet new england town. bill spencer, who went on to report for nbc affiliate a well ton,liked young man been gunned down at home in a quiet new england town. bill spencer went on to report for kprc in houston was just starting out in new hampshire when he picked up the story of who killed gregg smart. >> he was a successful life insurance salesman with a beautiful young wife. and for some reason, he has been shot to death at the doorstep of his own home. why? >> police were asking the same question and trying to learn more about greg. >> gregg was the life of the party. he was always smiling, having all the jokes. >> reporter: police learned gregg met pamela in new hampshire about four years earlier when she was home for a holiday break from college. she and gregg got along so well that he moved with her to tallahassee, where pamela was a sophomore in communications at florida state. >> we used to go a lot to the beach and travel. we went to concerts a lot. i was working as a disc jockey at the time. >> she had been in a couple of my classes, and she was walking and had a bon jovi t-shirt on. >> reporter: that is when amy newman met pamela and greg. >> what did you say to her? >> do you like bon jovi? she's like i love bon jovi. my boyfriend looks like bon jovi. >> gregg wasn't taking classes. >> and she would have index cards. she would have everything prepared. she taught me how to study. >> how was pamela around gregg? what did he bring out of her? >> even though he was shy, they were just very sweet and kind of cozy. >> by the time graduation rolled around, pamela and gregg were engaged. they went home to new hampshire, got married. gregg cut his hair and got a job with his dad selling insurance. pamela, who dreamed of being a tv reporter, got a media job with a local school district. >> you kind of had it all together at 20, 21 years old? >> yeah, i was trying. i thought i was doing all right. >> amy imagined a big future for pamela. >> i knew that she was going to do great things. and i told her that the next time i saw her, i knew she was going to be famous, and i would see her on tv. >> and in fact a few days after the murder, pamela smart was on tv being interviewed by reporter bill spencer. >> she was wearing a beautiful vibrant blue dress. hair was all made up. makeup was perfect. she looked gorgeous. >> police watched pamela on television with unease. >> we had limited the information that was going to pamela smart because she had the chance to talk to media and she enjoyed talking to the media. >> and then came a break. it happened at a high school where pamela worked. kids there were spreading a wild story. >> if they hadn't told people, i'm not sure how this would have turned out because i don't think police had that much. >> some teenage boys at the school were telling people they killed gregg smart. a neighborhood kid heard them talking. he repeated the story to the father who located his gun and then made a tough decision. >> ended up bringing it to the dairy police department saying this may have been involved in a murder. turned out it was the gun that killed gregg. >> shortly after that, three local high schoolers were arrested for gregg's murder. bill spencer made a b-line for pamela smart's house. >> she looks frantic and incredibly emotional. i'm like but this is great news. they just made an arrest. the case is wrapping up. she's like no, i can't talk, bill. i'm just too upset. i'm too devastated. >> it was the first time he had seen her like that. it didn't make sense. but turns out pamela smart knew the kids under arrest. she had an intimate connection with one of them. his name was billy flynn. >> at first someone came and told me he had a crush on me or something. i thought it was cute, but i wasn't interested. >> you're the grown up here. >> i sure was. >> you're working for the schools. >> i'm not even thinking about him in any romantic whatsoever. she was helping students produce this commercial as part of a competition. there's pamela on the left and that's billy. where did it go from there? >> i didn't think it was going anywhere because i wasn't interested and i didn't care. i was flattered by his attention because i felt at that point in my life kind of low still after what had happened with gregg. >> she says gregg had a one night stand with a woman he met at a bar. pamela says she was feeling wounded and billy made her feel better. apparently much better. >> how did things cross the line? how did it get to that point? >> i knew it was wrong. i felt like i didn't want to be attracted to him. but i still felt like i was. >> she said the affair lasted a few months. but then she told billy it was over after confessing it all to gregg. >> you were going to try to make it work? >> yes. >> how is billy flynn acting through all of this? >> he was angry. he was sad. he was crying. you know, i did feel bad. i didn't intend to hurt his feelings. >> not long after that her husband was dead. the teenage student she had been sleeping with was under arrest. >> it was complete shock. when i first heard it, i thought oh my god, they found out about the affair. and now i'm somehow a part of this one way or another because i had this relationship with him. >> the kids under arrest may have been young, but they were also tough. they weren't talking. but police were tougher and figured that getting the teens to talk was just a matter of time. coming up. >> it's body heat, it's fatal attraction. it's what pours millions into theater every weekend. and it is right here in new hampshire. >> the drama builds as the student who shares pam smart's secret does talk. >> what was his version of events to you? >> pam had said to him that they could never be together unless gregg was killed. >> i didn't realize the scope of this thing until the sex part came up. >> when dateline continues. bounce back fast from heartburn with new tums gummy bites, and love food back. 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[ bird squawks loudly ] to a pet shop. meg's moving company uses t-mobile. so she scaled down her fleet to save money. and don's paying so much for at&t, he's been waiting to update his equipment! there's a smarter way to save. comcast business mobile. you could save up to 70% on your wireless bill. so you don't have to compromise. powering smarter savings. powering possibilities. andrea canning: in the days after the murder, pamela smart spent a lot of time with police, talking about her life with gregg in the days after the murder, pamela smart spent a lot of time with police. but she had left out one important detail. >> if you're being interviewed for hours though, one might think it is relevant to say i was having an affair. >> looking backwards, i should have said that, but i did not think i knew someone who was capable of murder. >> reporter: even after billy flynn and two of his friends were arrested, she still didn't say anything about the affair. >> it was bad enough that my husband was dead and then i had gregg's parents calling me saying how come these people you know killed my son? >> the teenagers kept silent for months. and the prosecution tried to press them as adults. >> that's when they were facing life without parole, and the idea of cooperating became all the more relevant to them. >> reporter: that's when they admitted they killed gregg smart. but there was more to it. billy said pamela was involved. in fact the teens said she was the mastermind. >> what was his version of events to you? >> that basically pam said to them they could never be together unless gregg is killed. >> billy had become spell bound by the more experienced pamela smart. he would do anything for her, even kill. >> the origin fall plan is for him to try to find someone to kill gregg smart, and they really couldn't find anybody to kill him. so eventually she starts putting pressure on him and this is how you can do it. >> billy tried and failed a few times to kill gregg and then asked his friends for help. >> for the life of me i'm not sure why they agreed to help him in part because pam says to them you can have whatever you want out of the apartment. and billy tells them she'll give you $1,000 each, which pam renigs on. >> they said pamela told them when gregg would be home and made arrangements to be gone. they ransacked the house. billy shot gregg and they all fled. exactly three months after the killing, police had what they needed. they drove to pamela's workplace. >> she said hello and i said hello and she said what's up? the good news is we solved the murder of your husband. the bad news is you're arrested for murder. >> and she is being led by the police and she looks to me, powerful and so helpless, vulnerable. >> reporter: the news warped from the story of a tragic widow to the story of a black widow. she was 22 and she was 16. >> up until then it was a murder case with a lot of interesting parts to it, but i did not realize this until tay came out between billy flynn and pamela smart and all the manipulation. >> people would look back and picked her apart. was she enjoying the attention? >> this is a real live soap opera. and then the news director. >> it's body heat and what pours millions into the theater every weekend. >> the tabloids loved it, especially when these pictures surfaced, posing in a bikini. she gave those photos to billy flynn, the story went, supposedly all part of her seduction. the story moved like wildfire around the country. >> i went into the gas station and saw star magazine. and there is their wedding picture. it called her the ice princess and that she murdered gregg. i couldn't believe it and bawled my eyes out. there is no way this was her. >> when the media was talking about pam, i couldn't recognize who they were talking about because it's not the person that i know. >> the families and friends of pamela and gregg smart were about to face a media on slot. and pamela was about to become a part of a new kind of television phenomenon. coming up, >> she told me she was going to do things. >> what did that mean to you? >> like provocative, but i guess strip teased me. >> red hot testimony. >> we had sex. >> cold-blooded murder. >> i said god forgive me. >> you said god forgive me? what happened? i pulled the trigger. >> when dateline continues. with the freestyle libre 3 system know your glucose and where it's heading no fingersticks needed. now the world's smallest and thinnest sensor sends your glucose levels directly to your smartphone. manage your diabetes with more confidence and lower your a1c. the #1 cgm prescribed in the u.s. try it for free at freestylelibre.us [♪♪] looking for a moisturizer that does more than just moisturize? try olay regenerist for 10 benefits in every jar. olay visibly firms, lifts, and smooths wrinkles, by penetrating the skin, to boost regeneration at the surface cellular level. try olay. if you spit blood when you brush, it could be the start of a domino effect. new parodontax active gum repair breath freshener. clinically proven to help reverse the four signs of early gum disease. a new toothpaste from parodontax, the gum experts. hi, i'm jessica layton with a look at what's happening. an aid to benjamin netanyahu said sunday the country is not rejecting the cease-fire framework for the war in gaza laid out by president biden. this despite speaking out against a proposal calling it a non-starter. we are awaiting the results of mexico's presidential elections after polls close sunday night. the country expected to elect its first female leader following a campaign season marred by violence. now back to dateline. i'm andrea canning. newlywed and widowed pamela smart welcome back to dateline. i'm andrea canning. newlywed and widowed pamela part received widespread sympathy after her husband was killed. but in a stunning twist, police arrested her for murder. now all eyes were on a new hampshire courtroom where there was a tantalizing story of seduction. back to deadly secret. >> reporter: it was the first week of march, 1991. ten months after gregg smart was killed and pamela smart was on trial for his murder. reporters from around the world swarmed the courthouse to cover the salacious story. the woman accused of seducing a teenage boy and convincing him and his friends to kill her husband. >> all i can remember hearing is this explosion of flashbulbs, going off. as she is being led into the courtroom. >> what kind of impact did it have on the trial, all that attention? >> i mean certainly i think the court had to take certain e precautions to make sure things didn't get out of hand. >> reporter: pamela's defense attorney says things had already gotten out of hand. >> i felt as though the jury was in shark infested waters. they had not been sequestered. the camera crews at that point were running wild. we had our own client chase into the woman's laboratory. >> that was the backdrop as the state of new hampshire laid out its case. >> and fired one fatal shot into the head of gregg smart. >> prosecutors contended that pamela smart was a calculated temptrous. >> one by one the teens who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder took the stand. in homes, bars, diners, and barbershops. the people watched as they described an awful crime. one admitted driving the others to murder gregg smart as he told it. the motive was money for him and for pamela. he said pam told them there would be a big life insurance pay out after gregg was killed and they would get some of the money. >> what did you expect to receive? >> $500 in cash. >> from who? >> pam part. >> the driver told the jury how pamela smart issued detailed instructions, including no stabbing. >> she did not want a knife used because of the mess the blood would make. and how she had new furniture. everything in the house, she had white leather furniture. >> one of the teens found a butcher knife in pamela's kitchen and held it to gregg's throat as he had attempted to rob him. >> he was telling us not to hurt him. please don't hurt us, begging for his life. >> what kind of ring was it? >> at first i thought it was a normal gold ring, but turned out to be a wedding band. >> what happened? >> he told e me he couldn't give it to me. >> he said his wife would kill him. >> at the center of this r rated courtroom drama was the love struck teenage killer, billy flynn. he took the stand on his 17th birthday and testified about how he and pamela smart became intimate. flynn testified that while pamela's husband was away on a ski trip, she invited him into her bedroom and then. >> she told me she was going to dance like that for me. >> what did like that mean? >> like provocative, like a strip tease kind of thing. >> what happened after that? >> we had sex. >> and intercourse? >> yeah, we made love. >> on the stand, billy went on to say the next morning, pamela smart began a different kind of seduction. >> she started crying. that got me upset. she was saying that the only way we're going to be able to be together is if, you know, if we kill gregg. if you love me, you'll do this because you'll want to be with me. >> what did you say to her as she was saying this to her? >> i told her that i did love her. i loved her very much. >> billy testified the murder plot was planned over the course of at least two months. you could hear a pin drop in court when the tearful high school student described the killing. >> 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 did you wait? >> a hundred years it seemed like. i said god forgive me. after you said that, what happened? i pulled the trigger. >> viewers were like jurors, rendering a verdict in real time. >> i feel sorry for the kids. they're so young and everything and they ruined their lives. >> the story of the wedding ring was devastating. my wife will kill me. there's no soap opera to this. it's real stuff. it's real stuff. >> if the testimony from the young conspirator wasn't enough, prosecutors have courtesy of another student. pamela's intern, cecilia pierce. prosecutors believe cecilia knew about the murder plot, but they didn't have enough evidence to charge her with conspiracy. but police did convince her to cooperate. >> when cecilia came on board and she decided to cooperate with us, she would talk to pamela smart. >> investigators hope pamela smart would implicate herself in gregg's murder. on the tapes, she didn't come right out and say i did it, but she did sound like someone worried about being arrested. >> i'm afraid one day you're going to come here. >> and on one recording, pamela implies she knows plenty about the murder plot. she also worries about what would happen if one of the teens involved in the plot started talking to police. >> how critical are those tapes? >> there is a nail on the coffin if you really want the truth. there's a nail on the coffin. >> reporter: as he wrapped up the state's case, they warned the jury not to be fooled by pamela smart the waybillly flynn and his accomplices have been. >> this woman from day one and in this case ever came to court, even put herself on the stand with her background and her intelligence, and her ability to answer questions, and pull one over on you, ladies and gentlemen. >> the prosecutors had little doubt that the always poised pamela smart was capable of doing just that. >> the state's case was strong, but pamela was up next, and she was about to share a very different version of events. coming up. >> did you expect that when he was over, you would have sex with him? >> yes. >> did you have sex with him when he came over? >> yes. >> pamela smart takes the stand. >> i made a mistake. >> you made a lot of mistakes so far. >> i sure have, yes, i have. >> was killing your husband one of those mistakes? >> no, it wasn't. >> when dateline continues. r . i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®. feeling claritin clear is like... ♪♪ [cat meow] —is she? letting her imagination run wild even though she has allergies. yeah. you can feel it, when your dream becomes a pursuit. and with vitiligo, the pursuit for your pigment is no exception. it's time you had a proven choice to help restore what's yours. opzelura is the first and only fda-approved prescription treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo. proven to help repigment skin over time. restoring what's yours. it's possible with a steroid-free cream that you can apply yourself. opzelura can lower your ability to fight infections including tb or hepatitis b or c. serious lung infections, skin cancer, blood clots, and low blood cell counts occurred with opzelura. in people taking jak inhibitors, serious infections, increased risk of death, lymphoma, other cancers, and major cardiovascular events have occurred. the most common side effects were acne and itching where applied. repigmentation is possible. ask your dermatologist today about starting or refilling opzelura. pursue it. you are bountiful. your bones can support two times your weight. it's in your nature to stand strong. your cells renew every 27 days. it's in your nature to glow. your digestion can improve by laughing with friends. it's in your nature to thrive. your body is brilliant. from your head to your heels. we're just here to supplement you. nature's bounty. it's in your nature. andrea canning: pamela smart says the story told by the prosecutor was compelling fiction, a tale meant for the movies. pamela smart says the story told by the prosecutor was compelling fiction. a tale meant for the movies. in fact after the trial, her story became a movie. a breakout hit for nicole kidman. >> if somebody can't remember pamela smart, you say the movie to die for with nicole kidman. >> if you watched "to die for," people take that and say the whole movie is true and this person, pamela smart, is a horrible individual. >> it is a very iconic movie? >> yes. >> it helped to freeze me in the image of my worst mistake. that mistake? sleeping with billy flynn. and that would caricature her. she said the tabloids were full of lies like the bikini photos that they were not shot. they were taken for fun for a modeling contest with friends. >> somehow the narrative escaped or got creative that i took these pictures for bill flynn and gave it to him to seduce him, and that is a false story. >> there was a lot to dig out for that yes, she had been a school district employee who slept with a student. >> you suspect when it is over that you would have sex with him? >> yes. >> did you have sex with him? >> yes. >> did you make love to him? >> yes. and then when i did, i told him that i didn't think it was right and that it was wrong, and i wanted to be with gregg, and he kept saying why didn't i just get a divorce and i said because i love gregg. >> she said billy didn't want the relationship to end. >> he started crying and he said he couldn't live without me. >> how did that make you feel? >> i felt bad. i didn't want to hurt his feelings. i still wanted to be friends with him and he was still a nice person. >> and then the prosecutor pressed her about why she didn't admit the affair from the beginning. >> i did not want the whole united states of america to know i had an affair. >> you've made a lot of mistakes. >> i sure have. >> was killing your husband one of those mistakes? >> no, it wasn't. you should have gotten divorced? >> no, i did not want to get divorced. >> someone in the media likened you to an ice princess? >> i was in shock by it and overwhelmed and raised my whole life not to be a cry baby or overly dramatic. and i would be crying when i was rewatching the coverage or whatever, it was upsetting. >> from the point of view, she was more arrested development tan ice queen. >> she seemed more like a 14- year-old, 15-year-old playing the part of an adult. >> he said billy flynn and his friends say easily young boys manipulated. but in reality, they were tough teens who concocted a story about her involvement to shorten their sentences. >> the quote boys were boys is a myth. the so-called boys were certified by the attorney general's office as adults with the sophistication of adults that would face trial and be punished with adult punishments. >> he says it is outrageous that they were housed in the same jail. billy and the teen were even in the same cell. >> they had a long time to get their stories straight if necessary? >> from the day gregg was slaughtered in his own living room to the day they stepped into the courtroom, they could prepare for trial together. >> what do you say about the motive the prosecution gave? >> right, no one has explain when i could have gotten divorced. my parents lived in a beautiful house. we had no children and no property. there was nothing to loose. >> why would billy flynn kill gregg with the help of these other teenagers? >> i think he felt that was the only way to be with me and as long as i was married, i wouldn't have been with him. >> is there anything that you said or done? >> the only thing i said i'm not going to be with you because i'll be with gregg. >> still, it is hard to explain the tapes. pamela told us there is a story behind those tapes. her attorney warned her that cecilia might be wired, but pamela talked to her any way and i was completely cut off. >> on those tapes, she is acting, pretending to know more she did in order to pump cecilia for information. >> all i wanted to know did this guy kill my husband? i had to know. did he really do this? if he killed my husband, i felt like it was all my fault, it was still my fault because if i never had this relationship, my husband would still be alive. >> and she also argues the tapes might have been edited, and they were unreliable. >> all these years later, we found out a secretary in the attorney general's office made the transcription. >> do you understand why people hear those tapes and they believe you're guilty? >> i do, right. i do. i do. coming up, the verdict. >> you think it was more? >> and more tan 30 years later, some are asking that same question. >> a lot of governors are saying the sentence is archaic. enough is enough. >> when dateline continues. 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oh, we know. we just like making a scene. transferring your services has never been easier. get connected on the day of your move with the xfinity app. can i sleep over at your new place? can katie sleep over tonight? sure, honey! this generation is so dramatic! move with xfinity. shell renewable race fuel. reducing emissions by 60%. ♪♪ we're moving forward with indycar. because we're moving forward with everybody. shell. powering progress. the jury in the pamela smart case deliberated for 13 hours before rendering its verdict. the jury in the pamela smart case deliberated for 13 hours before rendering its verdict. >> guilty. >> guilty. gregg's parents agreed. >> she did do it. >> she got what she deserved. >> yes. >> but pamela's family was heartbroken. >> get out of the way. >> do you think it was a fair trial? >> i want my son. get out of here. >> do you think it was fair? of course not. from the beginning it wasn't fair. >> the finance was mandatory. >> i am required to sentence you to the new hampshire state prison for the remainder of your life without the possibility of parole. >> life in prison. >> with no chance of parole. >> no chance for parole. >> today this is home for pamela smart. bedford hills correctional facility for women about an hour north of five city. she filed appeals on the grounds of excessive pre-trial publicity, change of venue, and jury misconduct. the courts found no merit in those appeals and they were denied. while one by one, the teens now middle-aged men have been paroled. billy flynn, who pulled the trigger, was released in 2015. he addressed the court then in tears. >> do you think about billy nun and what he's doing and all the other guys? >> i do sometimes. it makes me angry. but i'm a person that doesn't want to live in bitterness and anger. >> in our interview, what pamela smart did want to talk about was her sentence. life without parole. >> i'm not even arguing of trying my case again. what happened happened at trial. and i was found guilty and i was sentenced, and i'm in prison. and i spent nearly 29 years here now. so at this point, all i'm saying is the sentence fair? >> that's the kind of question many criminal justice reform questions are asking. more and more states are rethinking mandatory sentencing and the value of life without parole. >> a lot of forward progressive thinking governors are saying the sentence is archaic that it leaves no room for any real change in rehabilitation or redemption or mercy. >> pamela smart would say she's the poster child. >> i have one master's in law and one in english literature. >> she's an inmate advocate, studies music, and she does this. praise dancing. >> praise dancing, which i do often in church. it makes me feel free. it's one of the times here that i do feel free. >> friends who have stood by her waged a social media campaign to get her out of prison, #freepamsmart. they say it is unfair the person who pulled the trigger and killed gregg smart is free while pamela is not. so legally what's left? >> what's left is i have a petition in front of the new hampshire governor. i'm asking that my sentence be reduced to anything, but life with no parole. >> why do you believe you should be allowed to walk free. >> if i get out of prison tomorrow, i'll get a job and be a productive citizen. i just feel enough is enough. >> in the past, members of gregg's family have said they oppose her release. and as the convicted mastermind, she should serve more time than the others. bill spencer looks back at all the years of news coverage and sees a gaping hole. >> gregg smart has been overshadowed for so many years. this is a beautiful young guy with his whole life ahead of him with so much promise. he should be here now. >> pamela smart filed yet another petition with the state of new hampshire in 2018. she asked that her sentence be changed, so she would be allowed to have a parole hearing. andrew valenski considered her request. >> there were letters from inmates. there were letters from family members. i learned she accomplished a great deal while in prison. >> more than 500 pages about what a good person pamela smart is and then. >> well, i never wanted nor asked mr. flynn to murder gregg. >> ten little words blew her chance at a hearing. she denied responsibility for gregg smart's murder, so the council voted against her request for a change of sentence. >> if ms smart's petition had omitted any reference to whether she was guilty or not guilty and it simply focused on her good efforts while in prison, i would have voted for a hearing. >> i think the problem is it is sort of unpopular for a governor so say okay, i'll let her go when she is not taking responsibility for what happened. >> i am taking responsibility. >> you know what i mean. more direct responsibility that you ordered this murder. >> so i'm suppose to admit to something that i didn't do to get out of prison? i don't get it. >> pull magiatto has strong words for pamela smart. he's called her a sociopath. >> is this a personal opinion? >> i don't have the ability to bring a psychoanalyst to her. and look at her behavior. okay, maybe she's not a sociopath. whatever she is, she's a kick woman. >> pamela smart wrote you a note? >> she did. she wrote me a note saying i heard you say on the media that i have no remorse and i do have remorse for what happened with the boys, and i do have remorse for my husband's death. i wrote her back and basically said i get you have that remorse, but you've never expressed remorse for planning the murder or for taking responsibility for the murder. >> will you ever say i did this? >> no. >> or i told them to do this? >> no, i didn't ask them to do this and no, i will not. >> so far all of pamela's petitions to be considered for parole have been denied. she says she will never stop trying to win her freedom. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i'm andrea canning. thank you for watching. atic cr in a story of two mothers fighting for their sons-- he knows, he hurt my son bad.