Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty To Murdering Man She Accused Of Raping Her

Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty To Murdering Man She Accused Of Raping Her

An Alabama woman has pleaded guilty to killing the man she accused of raping her hours after the alleged crime took place. Brittany Smith, 32, made her plea before Jackson County Circuit Judge Jennifer Holt, admitting the murder of Todd Smith, not related, on the morning of January 16, 2018, Al.com reports. However, despite being sentenced to 20 years behind bars, she’ll only serve about seven.

  1. Brittany Smith sought a Stand Your Ground defense. While Brittany admitted to shooting Todd in her kitchen, she claimed she was justified in the killing as Todd had raped her hours earlier and was holding her brother, who went after Todd about the alleged assault. The judge didn’t buy that, however, forcing Brittany to plead guilty to avoid a trial by jury which could have landed her a life sentence.
  2. She didn’t want to take her chances with a jury. “We have no control over a jury or a judge that would sentence her,” said Brittany’s attorney Ron Smith, also unrelated, in an interview with AL.com. “In any case, you’ve got to weigh what you know and can control with what you can’t.”
  3. Brittany attempted to have the judge removed from the case. Judge Jenifer Holt accused Brittany of attempting to “alter or destroy evidence” but Holt refused. Holt also declined to dismiss the murder charges, writing in February, “The court finds that the defendant has given inconsistent accounts of the events surrounding Todd’s death, beginning with the 911 call … and has attempted to alter or destroy evidence.” She continued, “The court further finds that the defendant’s testimony about material facts was significantly at odds with the physical evidence, exhibits and other witness testimony. The physical evidence is inconsistent with the defendant’s statements about a sexual assault.”
  4. She’ll only serve about 7 months behind bars. While Brittany Smith was sentenced to 20 years behind bars, her sentence was split so that she’ll serve 18 months behind bars and 18 months on house arrest. Given time served during the time she spent awaiting trial, she’ll only spend seven months in prison before she’s released.
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