Who is Brittany Smith, and where is she now? With the release of the Netflix documentary State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith, we discuss the main subject of the film.
If you are someone who enjoys diving into true crime documentaries or series, then Netflix is always a streaming service that provides those projects. Most recently, Netflix has been under fire for a slew of projects that highlighted Jeffrey Dahmer, but it seems that they are not worried about that affecting their viewership. Or even the accuracy of these portrayals in their projects.
What is State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith about?
The next project to hit the streaming service is the State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith. The Netflix documentary film explores the harrowing story of a woman trying to use Alabama’s stand-your-ground law as a defense after killing a man she says brutally attacked her. It’s important to share women’s stories and to understand the gravity of the situation in court. Time and time again, we see that it is extremely hard for women to ever get justice for being assaulted or attacked because the judicial system fails women. Believing women under any circumstance is something that should really be examined and understood by many.
A sex assault nurse found more than 30 wounds – including bruises, bite marks, and signs of strangulation – on Brittany’s body after the fatal shooting. Within 48 hours of the shooting, Brittany Smith was charged with murder and spent four months in jail and another six in a psychiatric institution. She had insisted that she had killed Todd Smith in self-defense, and Alabama law allows citizens to use lethal force against someone they believe threatens their safety while committing burglary. Her lawyers tried to dismiss the murder charge by arguing that she only fired in fear to protect herself and her brother.
What isn’t really being stated clearly is that Chris McCallie (Brittany’s brother) was the one who brought the gun to initiate a confrontation with Todd, which is a factor in the case and not necessarily self-defense. If there was the intent to defend yourself prior to the altercation, there could be a grey area which is what Judge Jennifer Holt questioned. Brittany Smith then pleaded guilty to murder, saying it was the “lesser of two evils,” and received a 20-year sentence.
Who is Brittany Smith?
Brittany Smith is a 34-year-old mom from Stevenson, Alabama. She has been in the middle of a complex murder case for quite some time. She allegedly shot Todd Smith, who was 38, who is of no relation, on January 16th, 2018. She told the court during the trial that she knew Todd as a teen and reconnected with him right before his death. She found out Todd was breeding dogs at the time and was homeless, so she invited him into her family home.
What did Brittany Smith do?
Todd Smith had entered her home and brutally attacked and raped her. She insisted she only killed him to stop Todd from murdering her and her brother when he refused to leave the property. Brittany made claims that she was allegedly raped twice, strangled and beaten unconscious by Todd – who was high on meth. She says that she had told her brother Chris McCallie who confronted her alleged rapist in a deadly showdown. Todd apparently got Chris in a chokehold and was threatening to kill them both when a terrified Brittany opened fire in the kitchen. She said she shot him twice, but he kept choking Chris until the third bullet struck.
How long was Brittany Smith in Prison?
Brittany Smith pleaded guilty to murder, saying it was the “lesser of two evils,” and received a 20-year sentence.
She was released 18 months later amid a plea deal and received credit for her time in prison waiting for her trial. Todd Smith did not have a clean file whatsoever, he had a disturbing history of violent crimes and domestic assaults spanning several decades. He had also been jailed a total of 71 times, including assaulting his ex-wife and partners. Knowing that he had such a violent past, especially against women, is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
This goes to show just how flawed the system is in the United States. How can someone go to jail 71 times and still be sent out to live with others in the world? Todd clearly went on about his business without actually caring about the others around him. He didn’t know how far he was even willing to go toward anyone because of the numerous assaults and violent crimes. It’s hard to understand the thought process of someone willing to continuously harm others without caring about the consequences because he has been jailed that many times. What Brittany Smith went through in her life was traumatizing and she lost precious time with her loved ones.
But for a woman to defend not only herself but her brother as well takes courage. She is someone who wants the world to know her story in the way she intends to tell it because that’s important. It’s important for anyone who has experienced this level of trauma and this documentary on Netflix will explore many avenues in how the judicial system unfairly treats these cases in front of many.
It’s difficult to watch any case involving a sexual assault survivor but it’s always important to let these stories come to light on a platform. Netflix has always been the streaming service to allow the truth to come out with their documentaries and they have been able to amplify those voices over the years. Even though some films about certain subjects have been controversial, documentaries still reign supreme and are more important than films.
Where is Brittany Smith now?
After being released from jail, Brittany told of her excitement about gaining freedom and rebuilding her life. She really wants this to be in her past and to move forward after all this is done with. She wants to finally live her life the way she wants with nothing bringing her down. This trial will be relived in the upcoming Netflix documentary set to be released on November 10th. This documentary is expected to shed light on the controversial case, which captured worldwide attention at the time. Above all else, Brittany Smith is also a mother and she had her children stripped away from her because of this trial. She wants her children to know that she isn’t a murderer and that she defended herself. She wants everyone to know that it is okay to defend yourself under any circumstance.
You will be able to watch State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith on Netflix on November 10th, 2022.
