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Tag: life in prison

  • Pamela Smart: Teen Lover Who Killed Husband Paroled

    Pamela Smart is serving a life sentence for the 1989 murder of her husband Gregory Smart. Pamela Smart didn’t kill him, however. William ‘Billy’ Flynn, now a 41-year-old man, pulled the trigger on the gun that killed Greg Smart. Flynn was just 16 at the time.

    So why is Pamela Smart still in prison if William Flynn killed her husband? And why was William Flynn paroled on Thursday?

    Pamela Smart was sentenced for being the mastermind behind her husband’s murder. She worked at a high school in Hampton, New Hampshire, and Billy Flynn was one of her students–and her teenage lover.

    According to a report from the New York Post, the trial was a media circus and one of the first high-profile cases about a sexual affair between an instructor and student. It inspired the Joyce Maynard novel To Die For, which in turn was made into a movie starring Nicole Kidman.

    William Flynn and three of his teenage friends carried out the plot–arranged by Pamela Smart–to murder Greg Smart. Pam Smart had convinced Billy Flynn they could be together if her husband was dead. Flynn pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison, minus time served before trial.

    “It’s your birthday,” said Donna Sytek, chairwoman of the three-person Maine State Parole Board. “We’re granting you the privilege of parole.”

    The board granted Flynn parole on his second attempt on Thursday, his 41st birthday. He came up for parole seven years ago, but was denied. He has been in a Maine prison and participated in the hearing by telephone. He told the board that he’d always be haunted by the killing.

    “I will always feel terrible about what happened 25 years ago,” he said. “Parole will not change that.”

    Pamela Smart was 22 when her husband was killed. She was convicted of being an accomplice to first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. She admitted to seducing Flynn, but said she didn’t plan her husband’s murder.

  • Jodi Arias Verdict 2015: Judge Declares Mistrial

    The Jodi Arias verdict for 2015 is the same as the last time around. Within the past hour, the judge declared a mistrial, meaning Jodi Arias won’t be sentenced to death.

    According to a report from ABC News, the jury couldn’t reach the unanimous decision needed to either sentence Jodi Arias to life behind bars or to the death penalty, thus forcing the judge’s hand.

    Now Judge Sherry Stephens must determine whether or not Jodi Arias–who was convicted back in 2013 for the 2008 murder of her boyfriend Travis Alexander–will spend the rest of her life in prison, or have the possibility of parole following a 25-year sentence.

    The Jodi Arias verdict 2015 is no doubt heart wrenching for the family of Travis Alexander. Some of those family members were heard sobbing in the courtroom on Thursday when the judge declared the mistrial. Jodi Arias, however, appeared ‘stoic,’ and expressed no emotion at all.

    During the 2013 verdict, it was no problem for the jury to determine that Arias was guilty of murdering Travis Alexander–stabbing him multiple times, shooting him, and slitting his throat almost to the point of decapitation–while he was in the shower. It was whether or not to sentence her to death that stumped them.

    The Jodi Arias verdict 2015 might not surprise those who didn’t watch the initial trial. It gained national attention for being live-streamed, during which time Arias described in great detail the sexual she reportedly experienced with Travis Alexander.

    The Jodi Arias verdict 2015 was read by Judge Sherry Stephens, as per a note she received from the jury, as follows.

    “In my assessment, we are hung, and additional time will not change this.”

    It is uncertain when Judge Stephens will hand down her sentence to Jodi Arias.

    Are you surprised that the Jodi Arias verdict for 2015 mirrors the same one from 2013?

  • Jodi Arias Could Get Death Penalty at Sentencing

    Jodi Arias could get the death penalty when she is sentenced for murdering her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. An Arizona judge has once again turned down Arias’s bid to be spared the death penalty during her sentencing retrial. Judge Sherry Stephens dismissed claims made by attorneys who believed the case was compromised when a member of Arias’ defense team was temporarily barred from visiting Maricopa County jails.

    “The defendant has failed to establish she suffered any prejudice as a result of the incident involving the mitigation specialist,” Stephens said in a written ruling on Friday.

    Jodi Arias was convicted last year of the murder of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in his Phoenix-area home in what authorities have described as an especially brutal murder. Alexander was found dead in his shower. He had been stabbed multiple times and his throat was slashed. He had also been shot in the face. The jury that convicted Arias of murder also found her eligible for execution, but they couldn’t decide if she should actually be sentenced to death. This is what prompted a penalty phase mistrial.

    On September 8th a new jury will be chosen and will be given the task of determining whether or not Jodi Arias should be sentenced to death. Now that the death penalty is a very real possibility she is no doubt shaking in her shoes. If, however, this new jury is deadlocked as well it is quite likely that the judge will sentence Arias to either life in prison or life with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years.

    The latter of those two options sounds rather lenient seeing how Travis Alexander died–don’t you think? Even if one is dead set against the death penalty, most people will likely agree that Jodi Arias should never again see the light of day–or be given the opportunity to harm another person again.

    Image via YouTube

  • Jerry Remy: Son Jared Remy Pleads Guilty to Murder

    Jerry Remy has long been known as the beloved broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox. The past year saw Remy keep a rather low profile, however, following the stabbing death of his son Jared Remy’s girlfriend Jennifer Martel. Today Jared Remy pleaded guilty to murder in Martel’s death and began a life sentence in prison without any chance of parole.

    Jared Remy admitted in Middlesex Superior Court on Tuesday morning that he fatally stabbed Martel last August. He called himself ”the bad apple” in a written statement he read to the judge and those present in the courtroom, and he called Martel ”an angel.” Jared Remy said he killed Jennifer last summer because she had a knife and was threatening him over their young daughter.

    ”I would like to say blame me for this and not my family,” he said, clearly bothered by the fact that his parents had taken a lot of heat following his arrest.

    Remy said his family did everything within their power to help Martel, whom he said ”helped me clean up my act.” He admitted that the one thing Jennifer could not cure him of was his ”love of drugs.” Remy was referring to his use of steroids and painkillers, according to a statement from his lawyer following the hearing.

    Remy also told the court, ”If you ask my family, they’d rather have me dead than her.”

    Jerry Remy was a former Red Sox second baseman who has worked as a color commentator for team broadcasts at New England Sports Network (NESN) since 1988. Son Jared Remy worked security for the Red Sox, but was fired during a steroids investigation in 2008.

    Jerry Remy and his wife Phoebe have suffered significantly since Jared Remy stabbed his girlfriend and mother of his child. It is no doubt a terrible feeling knowing your child took the life of another person’s child.

    Hopefully Jared Remy’s guilty plea will help Jennifer Martel’s family start putting the shattered pieces of their lives back together and might help afford Jerry Remy and his wife the same. Despite the younger Remy’s heinous actions, at least he didn’t make both families involved endure the horrific pain of a murder trial. At least he has that one mark of consideration to his name as he heads off to spend the rest of his life in prison.

    Image via YouTube