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A woman has spoken out after her appeal for immunity from prosecution for the murder of her alleged rapist was denied.
In March 2018, Brittany Smith was charged with the murder of pitbull breeder Todd Smith (no relation).
Brittany tried to have her charges dismissed using the Stand Your Ground self-defence laws, arguing she'd only used deadly force because reasonably believed it was necessary in order to adequately defend herself against Todd.
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However, before the trial began, she decided to plead guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Smith has spoken out in a bid to completely clear her name.
On 15 January 2018, Brittany alleges she was choked and raped by Todd. She also claims she was told by the breeder he would kill her and her family if she told anyone.
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Todd was staying with Brittany at the time of the incident after she offered her sofa upon being told he had nowhere else to go for the night.
After finding out about the alleged attack, Brittany's brother, Chris McCallie, later came round to the property armed with a gun to demand Todd leave, but the confrontation descended into violence.
Brittany claims Todd put her brother in a headlock and was strangling him, as well as threatening to kill McCallie.
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Brittany said she grabbed the gun and told Todd to stop hurting her brother, but when he allegedly didn't, she shot him.
The New Yorker reports, Brittany then phoned emergency services and said: "Someone just got shot at 211 Sharon Drive. He – he tried to kill me and [...] Just have an ambulance come, please, because I don’t want this man to die."
In March, it was testified by the sexual assault nurse who examined Brittany, she had indeed been bitten, strangled and assaulted by Todd - who had a previous record of domestic violence.
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However, before her trial was due to start, Brittany plead guilty to murder and was sentenced to 20 years.
Her sentence was later reduced to 18 months in prison and 18 months house arrest - the prison time reduced to seven months because of time Brittany already spent in jail in the lead up to the trial.
A Netflix documentary has since been created shedding light on Brittany's story.
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In the trailer, Brittany states: "I was arrested for murder, the man was in my home. I did what I thought I had to do because if I wouldn't have, my brother and I would both be dead."
Her mother, Ramona McCallie, continues: "She was raped and beaten by him and almost killed, and now, she's been raped and beaten by the system.
"She never should have been [taken] to jail. I taught her to fight, fight back, with everything you've got. And she did."
Ultimately, Brittany is fighting to have her name cleared because she wants to 'get [her] children back'.
Her four children were taken away from her in 2013 as a result of her drug problem.
She resolves: "I want them to know that mommy's not a murderer and that mommy defended herself - and that you should always defend yourself."
State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith is currently set for release on 10 November, 2022.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact RAINN via its helpline on 800 656 HOPE (4673) or its online chat, available 24/7 seven days a week.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 between 12pm–2.30pm and 7pm– 9.30pm every day. Alternatively, you can contact Victim Support free on 08 08 16 89 111 available 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas.
Topics: no-article-matching, US News, Netflix, Film and TV, Crime, True crime