The Pamela Smart Case (Part 1)
Morbid
The Power of Project Self-Esteem
Billy and Cecilia Pierce were asked to be among the students that would facilitate project self-esteem. Billy liked Pam for a totally different reason: He thought she was smoking hot. Pamela Smart wasn't one of their teachers, like you usually hear she was. To them, she felt more like a cool older friend than an authority figure.
Mention the Pamela Smart case to someone in New Hampshire, and they'll know exactly what you're talking about. The case captivated the nation in the early 90's and at the center of it all, of course, was Pamela. A New Hampshire native, she had big dreams of becoming somebody and making a name for herself. She moved away from her small town and almost did, but in the name of love she moved back home and settled into her career as a School Administrator. It was via that position that she would meet young sophomore in High School, Billy Flynn. Pam groomed the boy, and had him thinking they were fully in love before she asked him a question that would change both of their lives forever: Would he murder her husband? In part one we'll cover the early life of both Pam and her husband, Gregg Smart, we'll break down how Pam and Billy became involved with each other and just how Pam got Billy to believe that murdering her husband was what it would take for them to be together forever.
Special thank you to the brilliant David White for research assistance
References
Baker, Frank. 1990. "Smart to be jailed until trial." Concord Monitor, August 14: 1.
—. 1990. "Widow charged as accomplice." Concord Monitor, August 2: 14.
Carton, Barbara. 1991. "The Pamela Smart story." Boston Globe, Marcg 21.
1991. NH v. Smart: Opening Statements. Directed by Court TV. Performed by Court TV.
Derry News. 1990. "Family and friends puzzle over murder." Derry News, May 4: 1.
Englade, Ken. 1991. Deadly Lessons. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.
Gaines, Judith, and Alexander Reid. 1991. "Jurors say tales a key to their decision." Boston Globe, March 23: 1.
Hernandez, Monica. 2023. Accomplice in Smart murder asks for sentence reduction. January 10. Accessed May 1, 2023. https://www.wmur.com/article/smart-murder-vance-lattime-sentence-reduction/42449265.
Hohler, Bob. 1991. "3 guilty in N.H. killing." Boston Globe, January 30: 1.
—. 1991. "Confidant was wired by police." Boston Globe, March 15: 21.
—. 1991. "Smart is found guilty." Boston Globe, March 23: 1.
—. 1991. "Smart pleaded for life, N.H. teen-ager testifies." Boston Globe, March 6: 19.
—. 1991. "Tales of seduction." Boston Globe, March 12: 1.
—. 1990. "Tape offered at Smart hearing." Boston Globe, August 14.
—. 1991. "Witness: Smart asked for tips on reaction." Boston Globe, March 3: 27.
—. 1991. "Youth says blood flowed, tears did not." Boston Globe, March 13: 35.
Kilgannon, Corey. 2023. "Smart, who plotted with a teen lover to kill her husband, loses a parole bid." New York Times, March 30.
Kittredge, Clare. 1991. "A verdict to take to son's grave." Boston Globe, March 23: 1.
—. 1991. "Smart trial garners big TV audience." Boston Globe, March 17: 1.
Richardson, Franci. 1990. "Mrs. Smart absolutely convinced husband surprised thief." Derry News, May 9: 1.
Sawicki, Stephen. 1991. Teach Me to Kill: The Shocking True Story of the Pamela Smart Murder Case. New York, NY: Avon Books.
Schweitzer, Sarah. 2015. "5 years later, shooter to go free: William Flynn was 16 when he was lured into murder by Pamela Smart." Boston Globe, March 13: A1.
State of New Hampshire v. Pamela Smart. 1993. 622 A.2d 1197 (Supreme Court of New Hampshire, February 26).
Wang, Beverley. 2005. "Pamela Smart accomplice released." Concord Monitor, June 15: 10.
West, Nancy. 2016. Breaking Silence: Cecelia Pierce Speaks. October 12. Accessed April 24, 2023. https://www.nhmagazine.com/breaking-silence-cecelia-pierce-speaks/.
West, Nancy, and David Mendelsohn. 2016. Pamela Smart: innocent of (still) guilty. October 13. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.nhmagazine.com/pamela-smart-innocent-or-still-guilty/
https://www.bostonherald.com/2015/03/09/brother-of-pamela-smarts-victim-killer-did-his-time/
Thanks to Care/of for being a sponsor of this episode. For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code MORBID50.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
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