Convicted murderer Billy Flynn has asked for an early parole from his sentence of forty years to life, he received seventeen years ago for shooting Gregory Smart in the back of the head. Flynn had been having an affair with Smart’s wife, Pamela Smart.

He is asking for an early parole. Under his original sentence he is not to be eligible for parole until after serving twenty-eight years of the sentence.

Flynn has apologized to the family of Gregory Smart and is hoping that his parole can be moved up due in part to his good behavior, accomplishments in prison (GED, etc.), and marriage while in prison.

“As soon as I walked in the room today, I felt a tremendous amount of shame, and I really want to apologize,” he said in a wavering, barely audible voice while clutching tissues in his hand.

She worked at Flynn’s high school and was having an affair with him.

Although he could have been charged with first-degree murder, as Pamela Smart was — a charge that carries a sentence of life without parole — under the terms of a plea deal, Flynn agreed to testify against her and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 40 years to life, but is eligible for parole after 28.

Flynn was 15-years-old when he started sleeping with Pamela Smart. He was 16-years-old when he admitted to killing Gregory Smart. Pamela ordered him to kill her husband or else she would end the relationship.

Flynn told the Smart family he owed them an explanation, that at the time he was an isolated and lost teen and Pamela Smart filled every void in his life.

Flynn said she quickly began trying to leverage that against him, threatening to end their relationship if he didn’t murder her husband.

“It wasn’t just my relationship being threatened, it was my whole life and she knew that,” he said.

We like to poke fun of high school and middle school teachers who sleep with their students. The female teachers usually get slapped on the wrist in comparison to the sentences the men are handed. It is often hard to see the crime when a sexy teacher like Debra LaFave sleeps with one of her middle school students.

But there is a reason it is against the law and should be taken very seriously. Children are not mentally ready to be having sex at that age and especially not mentally capable of sleeping with their teacher or an adult. The case of Billy Flynn is a prime example of why it is important to protect children from sexual predators.

On a less serious note: Isn’t there an uncanny resemblance (see photos below) between Flynn and NBA basketball player Adam Morrison?