SAN ANTONIO — July 29, 2020, a beloved convenience store clerk was murdered.
It happened during an overnight shift at the E-Z Mart in the 19500 block of FM 3009 in Garden Ridge.
40-year-old Pam Smotherman was shot, and the masked suspect still roams free.
On the three year anniversary, Smotherman's sister is adding another approach to help capture the killer.
"It's just surreal to think that it's been three years," said Smotherman's sister, Harriett Rehman.
Rehman says a store clerk was the only job Smotherman ever had due to her disability. Their mother begged Smotherman to stop working at the E-Z Mart out of fear, but her daughter refused. Smotherman's customers were family.
"As a society, we tend to be reactive as opposed to proactive," said Rehman. "I felt this is an area where we can actually do something for good without it costing any lives "
Since our last interview with Rehman, she's made progress in enacting change.
Her goal is for Texas to pass a law protecting convenience store employees, instead of these protections relying on local ordinances. She's in touch with State Senator Donna Campbell's office.
"They're asking me what my ideas were as far as convenience store safety," Rehman explained. "Three days ago I sent her a response email proposing my ideas.''
Rehman believes if these convenience stores close at night, or if they add another employee to the overnight shift with more security, it could save lives.
"The employee is locked in the store," Rehman said. "Nobody can come in, nobody can go out. It's just a matter of using a teller door like you would at a bank."
Rehman still talks with detectives monthly. She says they've hit road blocks along the way, but she won't give up in her pursuit of justice.
"I have in my vehicle still pictures from the [surveillance] video and I drive around and I ask people in random spots on the street, I say, 'Does this person look familiar?'"
Rehman's next move is purchasing billboards to try and find the suspect.
The man was caught on the E-Z Mart security camera holding a gun to Smotherman's head. Even though he was given the cash and lottery tickets, he still fired his weapon.
"My mother has become exponentially sick," said Rehman. "It obviously took her mentally in the beginning, but I think that grief is actually taking her physically. So in our eyes, I feel like the murderer didn't kill one person that day. He killed two."
If you have any information on this case, call Garden Ridge Police at 210-651-6441.
