Inside Brittany Smith's Life Since Her Original Jail Sentence Ended
Brittany Smith spent years caught up in a court case that caught national attention. She alleged that Todd Smith assaulted and raped her in January 2018, per Alabama.com. In the early hours of January 16, she shot and killed Smith after he and her brother, Chris McCallie, got into an altercation. As Smith explained in a Netflix documentary, "State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith," she acted out of self-defense. "Because if I wouldn't have, my brother and I would be dead."
Smith tried to use an Alabama law that allows citizens to defend themselves in their own homes, commonly referred to as a "Stand Your Ground" law, as her defense — a strategy similar to the one used to get George Zimmerman acquitted of the murder of Treyvon Martin in 2013 in Florida. Smith, however, wasn't allowed to proceed with such a defense by Jenifer Holt, the circuit judge handling her case. Holt turned down Smith's request, citing that the evidence didn't fit her story, per the Jackson County Sentinel. But before her case came to trial, Smith pleaded guilty to the crime to avoid a potential life sentence. She also reached an agreement with prosecutors on an unrelated arson charge from a fire she started inside a Stevenson, Alabama home.
Brittany Smith faced many challenges
Smith was sentenced to 20 years for the crime, but she received jail time for 18 months and then followed by 18 months of house arrest (via Alabama.com). The remainder of her sentence would be spent on probation. Smith actually spent seven months behind bars as she was credited for the time she spent in jail prior to trial. She was released in May 2021, but she struggled with the terms of her house arrest.
First of all, Smith faced some financial hardship as she was charged $10 a day for the cost of her ankle monitor. She moved home to live with her mother and brother in Stevenson, Alabama, and she was only able to find casual work from time to time, according to Alabama.com. Smith was arrested for a parole violation later that May, per WAAY TV. And only a short time later, she was again charged with violating her parole related to her ankle monitor. Her mother, Ramona McCallie, felt that her daughter was needlessly harassed by the justice system, telling WAAY TV that "They drug her over the coals for nearly four years and it is still going on."
Brittany Smith landed back in legal trouble
Smith once again violated the conditions of her house arrest on Halloween of 2021. She went to a trunk or treat event with her children, even though her parole officer had refused her request to attend, per WAAY TV. This disregard for the rules earned Smith another trip back to jail.
By early 2022, Smith was once again at odds with the courts. This time she appeared to have tampered with a drug test prior to a custody hearing regarding her children, per Alabama.com. She later admitted that she had taken methamphetamine on March 5. The court recommended she return to jail and undergo drug treatment. That May, Smith was ordered to serve a prison sentence of nine months for her repeated violations, per the Jackson County Sentinel.
She is eligible for release in December 2022 and then she will return to house arrest to complete her sentence. While she was behind bars, her case returned to the national spotlight with the release of the Netflix documentary, "State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith."