Hey there, it's Kathy. I just wanted to let you know that you can listen to History of the 90s

early and ad-free on Amazon music included with Prime.

In March 1991, a media circus descended on the normally quiet New Hampshire town of Exeter

to witness a trial that some journalists were calling the

sex, lies, and murder case. In fact, so many reporters turned up they couldn't all fit in the

small courtroom. So a separate area was set up down the hall to watch the proceedings on

closed circuit TV. And they weren't the only ones watching the drama unfold.

That's because this trial was the first ever to be covered gavel-to-gavel live on U.S. television.

It was a landmark moment for cameras and the criminal justice system.

And it marked the beginning of the true crime media obsession that continues to this day.

The intense coverage of this particular case may have also prevented the accused from getting a fair trial

and set her up for a lifetime behind bars, while the actual killers have already been set free.

I'm Kathy Kanzora, and this is History of the 90s, a podcast about a decade that changed the world.

On this episode, we look back at a sensational murder trial that gripped the nation 30 years ago

and find out what has happened since the cameras went away.

This is the story of Pamela Smart.

On the evening of May 1, 1990, 22-year-old Pamela Smart was attending a board meeting at the high

school where she worked in the small

coastal community of Hampton, New Hampshire. Smart was a media coordinator at the school,

writing news releases and teaching students how to use AV equipment. And she also volunteered to

facilitate a mandatory program for freshmen called Project Self-Eesteem.

The former honors student and cheerleader had recently completed a university degree in communications

...