Brittany Smith reconnected with an old friend. Weeks later, she shot and killed him.

A new documentary is examining the complicated case of Brittany Smith. 

In 2020, Brittany was convicted of killing the man she claimed threatened, attacked and raped her. 

State of Alabama Vs. Brittany Smith is currently streaming on Netflix and explores the "harrowing" events which led to Brittany's arrest and her ultimate conviction.

Watch the trailer for Netflix's State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith. Post continues after video. 

Brittany was 32 when she reconnected with an old friend named Todd Smith.

While they'd known each other as teens, the pair had lost touch. But when an opportunity to purchase a pit bull puppy from Todd – a pit bull breeder – they decided to meet again.

A day later, in January 2018, he called Brittany and asked if she would pick him up from a city park. He told her he was stranded and freezing. He didn't tell her that his father had kicked him out of the house following a violent altercation that ended in his arrest. 

She agreed.

While discussing the meth crisis in their country after picking him up, Brittany said his "face hardened". She claimed that Todd – who was on a combination of Xanax, amphetamines, alcohol and meth at the time – started to get mad and choked her until she was unconscious. 

When she woke up, she alleged that she was naked and Todd was raping her. 

According to The New Yorker, he'd told her "not to say a f**king word and if I even breathe wrong he’d kill me".

Brittany Smith in State Of Alabama Vs. Brittany Smith. Image: Netflix.

Afterwards, in desperation, she called her mother to take them to the gas station for cigarettes at his request. She sent her son and Brittany's brother, Chris, instead. 

She had been too scared to tell her brother of the night's events, so she secretly confided in the store clerk about her rape through a note.

When her brother later returned to the store, under Brittany's command, the clerk shared the news. It was then alleged Chris "got his gun" and left to confront Todd. 

An argument broke out between the two men and as her brother was pulled into a headlock, Brittany grabbed for his weapon and shot three times. 

"Someone just got shot at 211 Sharon Drive," Brittany told a 911 operator. "He – he tried to kill me and… Just have an ambulance come, please, because I don’t want this man to die."

She was quickly arrested and charged with his death, but she was adamant the act had been in self-defence, under Alabama's "Stand Your Ground" Law.

A nurse who treated Brittany at the hospital testified that she had bruises, bite marks and signs of strangulation. However, they could not say if a rape had occurred. 

The nurse went on to testify that most sexual assault cases lack physical proof, according to AL.com.

Listen to True Crime Conversations, a Mamamia podcast hosted by Gem Bath. Post continues after audio. 

A grand jury indicted Brittany on murder charges in March 2018. She pleaded guilty to murder in 2020, a month before the trial was due to start.

"I’m really disappointed with having to take a plea deal," she told AL.com. "I’m not a murderer, but when it’s the lesser of two evils what can you do?"

While sentenced to 20 months in prison, Brittany was ordered to serve just 18 months of the sentence in county prison and another 18 months on house arrest. 

Today, she’s behind bars again and spending time at a medium-security women’s facility in Montgomery County after violating the conditions of her parole.

"It’s going to be really hard for me to get a job and get my kids back," she told Al.com. "I know that my family will let me visit my kids but as far as them coming home to mommy, it’s not going to happen anytime soon.

"I’m relieved that my kids and my family can just kind of move forward, and I’m relieved that I can move forward. But it’s still really hard."

Brittany lost custody of her children before Todd's death after developing an addiction to meth. At the time though, she was on the verge of regaining custody after rehabilitation. 

"I did what I thought I had to do," she explained in the trailer for State Of Alabama Vs. Brittany Smith. "Because if I wouldn’t have, my brother and I would both be dead."

"I want to get my children back," she continued. "I want them to know that Mummy’s not a murderer, that Mummy defended herself, and that you should always defend yourself."

Feature Image: Netflix.