Pam Smotherman was killed at the E-Z Mart in Garden Ridge on July 29, 2020. Her sister, Harriett Mendez, now feels there’s renewed hope for justice.
SAN ANTONIO — July 29, 2020, is a date Harriett Mendez will never forget. It’s the night her sister, Pam Smotherman, was murdered while working the overnight shift at a convenience store in Garden Ridge.
A masked gunman entered the E-Z Mart around 3 a.m., demanding lottery tickets and cash. While Smotherman complied, the gunman ended up shooting and killing her before running away. The location of the crime was the 19500 block of FM 3009 in Garden Ridge.
The suspect is described by Garden Ridge police as a “black male in his 20’s or 30’s wearing black shirt, dark pants, and a red bandana-style face covering.”
For five years, Harriett has fought to keep her sister’s case alive.
“He’s obviously talked to somebody,” Mendez said. “Somebody recognizes him. Somebody knows something.”
Despite her persistence, the path to justice has been long and painful.
Harriett’s grief has been compounded by another devastating blow.
“I’m going to be very open and honest and say that I personally have not grieved properly because one, when I was sister was killed, my mom was also diagnosed with breast cancer so I was busy caring for my mother and then she passed. I cry all the time but it’s not the same as acceptance,” Mendez said.
Frustrated by years of limited communication, Harriett reached out to Garden Ridge city officials earlier this year. But in recent months, the response has been different.
“When the new mayor came on (Lisa Swint), she reached out to me personally,” Mendez said. “She’s actually done a very good job maintaining communication. I’d say probably twice a week I talk with her.”
The city is now working to bring in a cold case investigator from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Two rewards are currently offered for information:
$4,000 from Comal County Crime Stoppers
$50,000 from Smotherman’s family (separate from Comal County Crime Stoppers reward)
“I’m willing to do what I have to do to make sure this man is brought to justice and that my sister didn’t die in vain,” Mendez said.
Mendez is also working with an agency called Seasons of Justice, which will sponsor billboards to spread awareness about the murder of Pam Smotherman.
Any information related to this crime is urged to call Garden Ridge police at 210-651-6441 or Comal County Crime Stoppers at 830-620-8477.