The face of Amanda Smith

Among the greatest topics of speculation since August 12 is how Amanda Smith has spent her time. In the run-up to the arrest, I held back information I had been given for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to how it might affect the investigators' efforts.

Now that Smith awaits a bond hearing on her murder charge, I suppose it's now open season and it's fair to reveal Smith's apparent obsession with maintaining an Internet footprint, most notably on the social networking site MySpace. Smith has bounced all over MySpace, dodging reporters and websleuths while still attempting to keep up with a new cadre of friends and people who were willing to believe her or turn a blind eye to the seemingly inevitable arrest. Since Devon Epps' death, Smith has maintained no fewer than three MySpace pages.

Today, a valued source slipped me some pictures that, should Smith end up in a sentencing phase at trial, will undoubtedly be shown to a jury. In most cases, we have no idea when these pictures were taken. As such, they are presented without comment. However, two of the pictures are dated in mid-October of this year. The grief on Smith's face is obviously well-covered. Save that fact, they too are presented without comment.

Who is Amanda Smith? I'm not really sure anyone knows. As I've said before, there are enough unflattering pictures of me out there that I feel obliged to point out that a picture doesn't always tell the whole of a person's personality.

That said, I think some of these new pictures are telling. In the end, it is not up to me to decide, however.

Unless I get picked for jury duty.

A few notes before we get to the pictures.

First, apart from the date-stamped photos, I have no idea when they were taken. Many of them appear to be self-portraits. Second, I have obscured the faces of the people in the pictures out of respect for their privacy. Beyond that, the pictures appear in their original unedited form--or at least as original as they appeared when given to me.



Previous Coverage:

Reading between the lines of Devon Epps' death
Devon Epps, Amanda Smith and the difficulties of reporting crime news
Devon Epps: Scene of the Crime?
Rapid Eye Reality coverage of Epps case makes it to print
Devon Epps: Waiting
Devon Epps: Pictures
The Missing Memorial Page
On Being Devon Epps' Mom
Amanda Smith arrested in death of son Devon Epps