MovieChat Forums > Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart (2014) Discussion > A couple of questions

A couple of questions

posted 8 years ago by bdjones1926
4 replies | jump to latest

I was 5 when this crime occurred but its always stuck in my mind for some reason. Maybe its because I've seen To Die For and took that as fact. Then along comes this documentary and I learned new things.

Wasn't Flynn's sob story, the whole "God forgive me" testimony proven false at trial? He said he stood behind Smart with the gun while Randall was in front with a knife. The medical examiner testified Smart was shot from the front not the back. Doesn't that raise doubt for anybody? I didn't know this detail so it surprised me. I don't buy that Flynn and his friends were wide-eyed innocents coerced into killing Smart. I think its possible they came up with the plan to murder for whatever reason on their own. Once caught and facing the death penalty, it was all about Pam for those four guys. It wasn't a hard story to come up as its happened so many times all over the world. I don't think the murder was so meticulous and complicated for them to do on their own. Its never sat well with me that actual killers get plea deals, usually by naming others, to eventually get out of prison while the so called masterminds get life or death. I think the one who actually kills is just as if not more dangerous as the mastermind.

Does anyone actually believe Flynn or any of those involved that night are actually going to come forward to help Pam? Flynn and Randall are out on parole so wouldn't they jeopardize their situations by confessing they lied about Pam's involvement? That would be insane of them and I think they've already shown how clever they are. The others might have less to lose, I don't know, but it would still wreak havoc in their lives.

I see that the consensus on this board is that Pam is guilty as sin. A couple of you feel she has served enough time and should be let go. The rest want her to stay right where she is. I can't say I believe she is guilty or innocent, it could go either way for me. But I do feel, guilty or not, she should be let out. In a perfect world, Flynn and Randall would have lwop and Pam would have gone free last year.

[–] Hopealways 8 years ago

The whole tapes that were provided by the police pretty much summed up what happened. I do think she is guilty of plotting the murder she had a vulnerable teen who would have done anything for her. She played on that. She couldn't bear the thought of divorce and losing anything of value to her. I used to write to Pam and she knows that she will never get out . She is very manipulative

I was waiting for my hearse what came next was so much worse

[–] bdjones1926 8 years ago

Can I ask how long you wrote to Pam and when? Were the tapes submitted by police in completely good quality? I got the impression they weren't.

[–] chioccamatt 8 years ago

To answer your questions, I don't think it was ever conclusively proved that Billy's story contradicted the autopsy results, but I could be wrong. Personally, I find it very hard to believe that all four teens (one two of whom were simply waiting outside in the car) would all tell exactly the same stories and not crack under pressure from the cops if they were all lying. I think it's particularly interesting that many of the people who claim the boys were all smart enough to manipulate cops in a capital murder case are also the ones calling Billy Flynn just "a dumb kid." But remember, the testimony of the boys was NOT the only evidence. The wiretaps did her in, and Cecelia Pierce would also have to be added to your list of liars.

Finally, one witness that often gets overlooked is a co-worker of Cecelia's at the Pizza place where she worked, who testified that a month BEFORE the murder, Cecelia told her that she had a friend "named Pam" who was "talking about trying to kill her husband." She too would need to be added to your list of liars. I don't buy it for a second.

[–] bdjones1926 7 years ago

Thank you for your answer. I never knew about the co-worker of Cecelia's that testified, it was probably that testimony that really sealed Pam's fate. Oh well, everybody lost in this case.