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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Pamela Smart is serving a life-without-parole sentence at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in New York. On September 17, 2026, a New Hampshire judge dismissed her latest petition for a new trial, ruling that her claims were procedurally barred and lacked merit.
Why Pamela Smart was convicted
Gregory Smart was killed in Derry, New Hampshire, in 1990. Pamela Smart, then a 22-year-old high school media coordinator, was convicted in 1991 as an accomplice to first-degree murder and other crimes, and sentenced to life without parole. She denied knowing about the plot at trial. The case drew national attention in part because the trial was one of the first in the United States to be broadcast live on television from start to finish. Associated Press reporting on the case (the URL for this source was not supplied in the available citation details).
William Flynn, the 15-year-old who shot Gregory, was released in 2015 after serving a 25-year sentence, according to the Associated Press. Associated Press, September 2026 (the URL for this source was not supplied in the available citation details).
Did Pamela Smart get a new trial?
No. Smart’s latest petition, filed in January 2026, was dismissed by New Hampshire Superior Court Judge James Kennedy on September 17. The judge found that the claims could have been raised in earlier appeals and, independently, lacked merit. NHPR reported that Kennedy described the petition as “not a substitute for a direct appeal.” NHPR, September 17, 2026
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What the petition argued
Among other claims, Smart’s lawyers alleged that jurors had been given transcripts containing words that were not audible on recordings of conversations. Examples cited included “killed,” “busted,” and “murder.” Those were defense allegations, not findings that the transcripts were inaccurate; the court rejected the petition. In July 2026, Smart appeared remotely from Bedford Hills for a hearing on the matter. Associated Press, July 20, 2026
How the sentence-reduction request differed
The court petition was separate from Smart’s effort to seek a sentence reduction through New Hampshire’s executive process. In 2025, Governor Kelly Ayotte rejected Smart’s request for a sentence-reduction hearing. Ayotte said, “People who commit violent crimes must be held accountable to the law,” and added, “I take very seriously the action of granting a pardon hearing and believe this process should only be used in exceptional circumstances.” The governor’s decision did not determine the later court petition. Associated Press reporting on the 2025 request
What Smart said about responsibility
In a videotaped statement released in June 2024 as part of her sentence-reduction request, Smart accepted full responsibility for her husband’s death. She said she had long deflected blame, describing that response as “almost as if it was a coping mechanism.” The statement was made in the context of seeking a sentence reduction; it is distinct from the trial record and the legal claims raised in her later petition. Associated Press, June 2024
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the “35 years” framing needs context
The murder took place in 1990, while Smart’s conviction followed in 1991. As of October 2026, those events were roughly 36 and 35 years earlier, respectively. So the title’s “35 years” is a rounded reference to the case’s history, not an exact anniversary of the murder. The Associated Press reported Smart as 59 in September 2026. Associated Press, September 2026
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