US mum pleads guilty to killing alleged rapist in self defence. Photo / Facebook
US mum pleads guilty to killing alleged rapist in self defence. Photo / Facebook
A woman has admitted killing her alleged rapist, claiming she acted in self-defence and has pleaded guilty as it's the "lesser of two evils".
Brittany Smith, a 33-year-old mother-of-four, admitted murdering Todd Smith, a teenage friend she reconnected with days earlier by shooting him with a shotgun.
Smith claims he strangled and raped her in January 2018 at her home hours before his death, later shooting him when he attacked her brother and had him in a chokehold.
She alleges Todd threatened to kill them both, forcing her to fatally shoot him.
Smith received a 20-year sentence under the plea deal, which will see her serve 18 months in prison before spending another 18 months on house arrest. The remaining 17 years will be served on probation.
The Alabama mum has now spoken from inside prison, stating the plea deal was better than taking a chance at trial.
"I'm really disappointed with having to take a plea deal," Brittany told AL.com. "I'm not a murderer, but when it's the lesser of two evils, what can you do?"
She shot Todd Smith, no relation, after she claims he raped her and attacked her brother. Photo / Facebook
With time served while awaiting trial, Smith will only spend about seven months in jail before being released under home arrest early next year, her lawyer told the outlet.
Smith faced life in prison if found guilty at trial, a prospect she said she couldn't consider because of her kids who are currently in the legal care of her family.
"I'm relieved that my kids and my family can just kind of move forward, and I'm relieved that I can move forward," Smith said. "But it's still really hard."
Her first plan once released is to get custody of her four children back – but she admits "it's not going to happen anytime soon".
Smith's legal team had asked a judge to grant her immunity under the US state's Stand Your Ground self-defence law, but the court agreed with a prosecutor who said Brittany did not prove the killing was legally justified and set the case for trial.
Smith said she's now focusing on possibly getting a pardon one day and wants to write a book detailing her ordeal.
Her family have stood by Smith throughout, with her mum Ramona McCallie previously saying she "doesn't deserve this".
She accepted a plea deal that will see her serve 3 years of her 20-year sentence behind bars. Photo / Facebook
'A GUT FEELING'
Smith previously revealed details of her horrifying ordeal in an interview with The New Yorker, sharing the chain of events that saw her appearing in court charged with murder.
On the snowy day, Smith was with her brother Chris McCallie when she received a call from Todd Smith who bred pit bulls. Smith had visited him the day before and taken home a puppy.
The 38-year-old said he was stranded asked the pair for a ride.
Smith had recently rejected Todd after he expressed romantic feelings for her, and Mr McCallie warned his sister against it.
"I just had a gut feeling that something was going to happen," he told The New Yorker.
Despite the concern, the pair picked Todd up, telling him he could sleep on the couch.
McCallie them dropped them off at Smith's home where they gave the puppy a bath and discussed their journey in recovering from meth addiction.
Smith – who had become hooked after losing a baby to a rare genital condition – was now clean and was advising Todd on how to beat his own demons when she said he snapped, calling her a "b**ch" and head-butting her.
Terrified, she said she ran into her bedroom and shut the door, but Todd broke through it.
She claims he choked her on the bed until she passed out, waking up later completely naked.
Smith said he then sexually assaulted her, threatening to kill her if she said a word about the attack.
McCallie later returned to Smith's house and asked Todd to leave, resulting in the scuffle that saw Smith shoot the man she said raped her.
According to the report by The New Yorker, a rape kit showed bruises on her neck, breasts, arms, legs, and pelvis, evidence of strangulation, bite marks on her neck and chin, and secretions on her neck and in her vagina.
Forty-eight hours later she had been charged with murder.
