'Media circus' atmosphere aggravated case

Sex, lies, murder and heavy metal music were all pieces feeding a media frenzy in the Pam Smart case.

In the early 1990s the Pam Smart murder case was all consuming in the local and national media. The case was scrutinized and tried on the front pages of newspapers in New Hampshire, the New England region and beyond..

"It was a soap opera, a reality show, in a small town, in a small state. It poisoned the judiciary, the jury and the entire community," said Eleanor Pam, academic mentor and spokesperson for Smart. "This resonated through the years."

Sculpting an Ice Princess

"Well Pam, I've got good news and I've got bad news," said Derry Detective Daniel Pelletiere on Aug. 2, 1990 in her Winnacunnet High School office. "The good news is we've solved the murder of you husband." Pelletiere then added the bad news was that Smart was then going to be arrested as the primary suspect in her husband's death.

It was clear the media had been tipped off to the arrest, considering the large showing of news outlets at the high school, according to Mark Sisti, her defense lawyer she'd retained prior to the arrest. Smart's demonization at the hands of the media began that day as the image of her in handcuffs being walked to the police car was plastered on the front pages of major New England papers.

The Eagle-Tribune read, "Their wedding song said they would be always and forever; but forever came too soon."

"Affidavit: She did it for the furniture, dog and place to live," read Foster's Daily Democrat.

Other headlines on Aug. 2, 1990 included, "Teacher charged with helping student murder her husband; her alleged teen lover pulled the trigger." (Lawrence Eagle-Tribune.)

"Love affair with teen led Smart to plan murder," read the Derry News on Aug. 8, 1990.

According to an article analysis prepared by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, there was an average of seven articles, in New Hampshire newspapers, to one article per day from Aug. 2 to Aug. 24.

Another analysis conducted by lawyer J. Albert Johnson during Smart's appeals process found that during August 1990 there was a total of 115 articles published in the local media and 14 in the national media.

"It was the most exposed case at that time," said Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire attorney general. "That case had a lot of appeal to the media and the public."

With an attractive 22-year-old teacher, four teenagers, insurance money, one affair and one murder, the media found itself a delectable mixture to fuel the front pages. Despite her undergraduate degree in communication, Smart found herself the target of front pages and camera lights rather than producing them.

The Rising Story Count

In the ensuing media coverage, newspapers held tight to the lurid details lust, greed and murder coming out of the investigation and pretrial preparation.

By the time the trial began, there had been approximately 417 articles published in the state media and 57 in the national media, according to Johnson's analysis that qualified that not all articles from May-July of 1990 were included.

Meanwhile, the analysis prepared by the N.H. Attorney General's office found 319 articles published from Smart's arrest to Feb 14, 1991.

"Mrs. Smart denied bail; State: Widow secretly taped in incriminating conversation," said the front page on the Manchester Union Leader on Sept.19, 1990.

"Smart wanted witness killed, police say," read the Eagle-Tribune on Jan. 5, 1991.

The soap opera details of the case gradually captured the focus of the national media as the trial date of March 2, 1991 inched closer. "Steamy charges of sex and death rock high school; Teacher, three students tied to killing," read the Arizona Republic on Feb. 17, 1991.

The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Washington Post, Time Magazine and Newsweek Magazine all ran stories before and during the trial.

When the trial started on March 2, 1991, media from around the world swarmed the courthouse. As details poured out of the case poured out of the courthouse, a larger media following began to envelop Rockingham County.

Lights, Camera, Action

The trial was run as a live feed by local cable stations, a first for the state of New Hampshire. Before the days of the O.J. Simpson trial and the Scott Peterson trial, people around New Hampshire and the country were glued to the screen as the trial unfolded.

"From what I'm told, everyone in New Hampshire was riveted," said Paul Maggiotto, the trial's chief prosecutor for the attorney general of New Hampshire.

In many newspapers, the circus surrounding the trial could be foreseen. "Smart trial begins Tuesday, heavy publicity expected" read the Union Leader on Feb 15, 1991.

Other regional papers reported the "Media descend on the county courthouse" and "Media crowd in cramped courtroom."

While Judge Douglas Gray saw the media flocking to the Rockingham County courthouse, he did not grant a chance for a change of venue or sequestering the jury.

"It was shameful the way the media wasn't controlled," said Sisti. "It was affecting witnesses. It was affecting my client and may have affected the jury."

"It was so bad at one point, Pam was attempting to go to the bathroom and followed into the bathroom by a reporter from CNN," said Sisti.

Maggioto said the big fanfare was walking up to the courthouse. He said he also recalled walking up to the courthouse and the camera clicking as a bit annoying as the trial moved forward.

As coverage continued during the trial, the case's more lurid details were emphasized by the media. The coverage appears to have tapped every tawdry fantasy of their readers and painted it across their front pages.

"Trial points teacher as seductress, victim's spouse slain in black widow case," read the Arizona Republic on March 6, 1991.