Pamela Smart is in prison for life, with no chance of getting out, because she helped her teenage student plan to kill her husband in 1990. Now, for the first time, she’s saying she’s sorry for what happened.
In a video released on Tuesday, Smart asked officials in New Hampshire to consider reducing her sentence. She admitted that before, she tried to blame others for what happened because it was hard for her to accept her own role in the murder.
When she was 22, Smart, who worked at a high school, had a relationship with a 15-year-old boy. He later killed her husband. Although Smart said she didn’t know about the plan, she was found guilty of helping with the murder and got a life sentence.
Smart has been in prison for almost 34 years. She’s tried many times to appeal her sentence, but she always said she didn’t plan the murder. Now, she says being part of a writing group in prison helped her realize she was responsible.
She wants to talk openly with New Hampshire officials about her sentence and how she feels about it. But her requests have been denied before.
Smart has spent her time in prison getting educated and helping other inmates. She says she’s changed since the murder happened.
Her story became famous and inspired books and movies. But while Smart has been in prison, others involved in the murder have been released.