Viswa Vanapalli
Netflix’s ‘State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith’ explores what happened after a mother of four from Stevenson, Alabama, shot and killed an acquaintance, Joshua Todd Smith, in January 2018. At the time, Brittany claimed that Todd had raped her and threatened to kill her and her brother, Chris McCallie. Her elucidation from nearly the get-go was thus self-defense. But prior to the shooting, she, the victim, and her brother had gone to a local convenience store where she told the clerk, Paige Painter, about the sexual assault. So, if you’re wondering how the latter fits into the story, here’s what we know.
Who is Paige Painter?
At the time of the incident, Addison Paige Painter worked as a clerk at a MAPCO gas station. It was actually around 1 AM on January 16, 2018, that Chris picked up his sister and Todd from her home to go and buy some cigarettes from the same store. There, while the two men stayed behind in the car, Brittany went in, and Paige, who knew the woman, immediately noticed she had broken fingernails, messy hair, and scratches on her face. It looked like she had been in a fight.
Paige thus asked Brittany what’d happened, only for the mother of four to shush her so as not to draw any unnecessary attention. She simply requested a pen and paper and wrote down Todd’s name, telling the clerk that he had beaten and raped her. But when Paige asked her to stay back, she didn’t; as per the show, Brittany told her that Chris was still with Thimodd, and she was genuinely afraid he would hurt her brother.
Brittany also made it clear on the paper that if something tragic were to transpire for her, Todd would be the only one responsible. Additionally, she penned down her mother’s number and asked Paige to contact her instead of the authorities. After that, Chris drove them all back, and once Todd was out of the car, his sister told him to return to the store and speak to Paige. That’s when he learned the truth and headed back to Brittany’s house to confront Todd, only for the latter to grab him in a chokehold, leading to her shooting him.
Where is Paige Painter Today?
Paige actually testified at Brittany’s Stand Your Ground hearing and detailed their verbal as well as silent conversation from that night. In the documentary, she also mentioned how her mother fought with her ex-husband constantly, just for it to end with her mother going to jail every time. Brittany’s case hence raised some critical questions regarding the way Alabama’s judicial system often treats battered women.
As for Paige and her whereabouts, from what we can tell, she currently lives in Powells Crossroads, Tennessee, alongside her two adorable daughters. She quit working for MAPCO in August 2018 and was later employed by Wendy’s for a few months. However, since November 2020, Paige has proudly been holding the position of Assistant Manager at a Dollar General store.
Read More: How Did Todd Smith Die?
