Dr. Pamela Ann Wojas was born to Linda and John Wojas in Coral Gables, Florida on August 16, 1967. When she was in elementary school, she moved with her family to Windham, New Hampshire. Pamela went to high school at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH where she was a cheerleader and popular among her peers. An overachiever with a fun-loving quirky side. She was an excellent student, devoted to her education, family and friendships. After graduating high school in 1985, she attended Florida State University. 1988, just a little over 3 years, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications, Graduating with honors (3.85 GPA)
Pamela Wojas met Gregory Smart at a 1986 New Year’s Eve party. Shortly after that they fell in love and two years later, they were married. Gregg began his training as a broker and Pamela took a job offer as a Media Coordinator for a school district in New Hampshire. Both barely out of their teens, they rented a condo and were adjusting to their new life as a married couple. However, less than a year into their union, Gregg had an affair, which led to Pam’s feelings of despair and diminished self-worth as a woman.
As a result, Pamela began a brief, tense, and highly conflicted affair with Bill Flynn. It lasted no more than two months and she wrestled with her conscience throughout, periodically attempting to end the relationship. She knew that what she was doing was wrong.
Pamela eventually grew fearful of him when he threatened to tell her husband should she ever leave him. Pamela decided to confess to Gregg herself, no matter the consequences.
The situation with Flynn was untenable; she loved her husband and hoped they could work it out. With great apprehension Pamela told Gregg everything. After an emotional and exhausting night of discussions, the couple agreed to reconcile on the condition that she cut off the relationship with Flynn which she did the following day.
On May 1, 1990, Bill Flynn, along with his best friend, Patrick Randall, broke into the Smart’s condo in Derry and killed Gregg Smart when he came home from work.
On June 1, 1990, Bill Flynn, Pete Randall, and J.R, Lattime were brought into custody by the Derry Police. Shortly thereafter another co-conspirator, a female classmate, Cecelia Pierce, who helped plot the murder with Bill Flynn, was brought in She was later granted immunity.
Raymond Fowler was arrested well after everyone, including Pamela. Pamela Smart’s attorneys put Raymond Fowler on her witness list for the trial, but the State arrested him the very next day, so he was unable to testify on her behalf.
Pamela Smart became the focus of the investigation. Flynn, Randall and Lattime were each granted plea bargains from the state in exchange for pointing the finger at Pam.
Pamela was tried as an Accomplice to 1st Degree Murder. Bill Flynn, who faced the death penalty (premeditated), and Pete Randall who faced a 1st Degree Murder charge both had their sentences reduced to 2nd Degree Murder, even though, according to their own testimony, they had premeditated the murder for months.
During the trial in March 1991, the media descended on Exeter, NH. The trial was televised in its entirety, and it became a media storm. Three films were made about the trial. One, “Anatomy of a Murder,” was produced by a local news outlet, WMUR aired just two days before the jury selection began.
During the two-week trial, the un-sequestered jury members were hounded day and night by a voracious public hungry for information and conversation about the case. These included media, friends, family, and colleagues. The jurors were also bombarded by the nearly 1,200 newspaper articles that had been printed and were littering the courtroom every day, proclaiming that Pamela Smart was an “ICE QUEEN” and “GUILTY”, and/or that she was a teacher.
Pamela Smart was found guilty. None of the jurors had any prior information about the statutory fate that awaited Pamela if she were found guilty as charged, as Judge Gray, issued the maximum mandatory sentence in the case and sentenced Pamela Smart to LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” one juror remembers.
Pam has now spent close to 32 years in prison. In June 2015, Bill Flynn was paroled from his minimum-security prison in Maine.
In June 2015, Patrick Randall was paroled from his minimum-security prison in New Hampshire. He now lives with his mother in Hampton, NH.
Vance “J.R.” Lattime was paroled in 2005. He now lives at home with his family in Seabrook, NH.
Pamela Smart has spent the past three decades of her life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Bedford Hills, NY. There, she has been severely beaten and sustained permanent physical and emotional injuries.
She was sexually assaulted by a correctional officer, who threatened to kill her family if she informed on him. The day after his attack he forced her to pose for lewd photos, which he then sold to The National Enquirer–along with a false and salacious story about her. As a result, Pamela was thrown into solitary confinement (Segregated Housing Unit –SHU) for 77 days in the heat of the summer months, allegedly for her own “protection.” Pamela eventually won a legal case against the prison for her abuse.
There have been many dark days for Pamela Smart, times when despair and depression have overtaken her spirit. But she has never given up her fight or hope.
Pamela has expressed deep remorse and taken responsibility for her behavior that led to the murder of her husband Gregg Smart. She has spent a great deal of time coming to terms with her role in the murder of her husband. She deeply regrets ever having been involved in an inappropriate relationship with Bill Flynn and knows that if she hadn’t, Gregg Smart would likely be alive today.
Pamela works every day to make the world a better place and she starts with her fellow inmates by tutoring and teaching students in Adult Basic Education, Pre-GED, GED, Pre-College, and College classes for over two decades. She understands that education is the number one tool that lessens chances of recidivism. Many, many inmates attest to her influence on changing their lives for the better and improving their prospects for a successful adjustment and future upon release.
For the past few years, she has also been a Peer Facilitator in the AIDS Counseling and Education (ACE) Office. She completed an in-depth certification process through the AIDS Institute, the New York Department of Labor; and the Women’s Prison Association. She has worked with women who are HIV positive, have AIDS, or other health issues, as well as the entire population of the prison by running groups to disseminate much-needed information about HIV/AIDS, STDs, and other women’s health issues.
Pamela has also spent her time in prison improving herself through the completion of all mandated DOCS’ programs, as well as participation in numerous voluntary programs. A deeply religious and spiritual woman, she was chosen by the prison’s Pastor as a leader in her church, presiding over services, and directing the liturgical dance ministry. She has been in a leadership role in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program since its inception seven years ago.
During her incarceration, Pamela has obtained two additional Degrees, both with high-honors, Master of Science in Law and Master of Fine Arts, English Literature. Neither was subsidized by public funding or taxes, but through private scholarships. She has recently received her Doctorate in Ministry with a concentration in Biblical Studies. As an Ordained Minister and Certified Pastoral Counselor, she has used her education for the betterment and education of other inmates. Her compassion has helped countless women to strive and succeed.
Impressively in 2018, she was elected by the inmate population, as their Inmate Liaison Committee (ILC) President. As the IGRC Inmate Grievance Resolution Committee Representative, Pamela works with the prison Administration, State Assembly men and women, as a trusted liaison to help articulate the issues and concerns of the inmate population and reach agreeable resolutions.
Her time has not been wasted. Through her work and the example of her life in service to others, she has repeatedly demonstrated that she is not the selfish “ice princess” she was made out to be by the media. She is the OPPOSITE of an uncaring woman, helping numerous prisoners find their freedom, their education, their work, their purpose…. Who Pamela Smart really is can be found in what she has done with her life in prison.
We hope the public will finally come to know the kindness and compassion of Pamela Smart.