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yesterday

Tennessee Executes Oscar Franklin Smith After Five-Year Hiatus on Capital Punishment

Smith, convicted of the 1989 murders of his estranged wife and her two sons, maintained his innocence until his execution on May 22, 2025, as legal scrutiny over the state's execution protocols continues.

Oscar Smith, 75, was executed by lethal injection for the murder of his estranged wife and her two sons
FILE - Capital punishment protesters pray on the grounds of Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the scheduled execution of inmate Oscar Smith, April 21, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
This undated booking photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows inmate Oscar Smith.
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Overview

  • Oscar Franklin Smith, 75, was executed by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution and pronounced dead at 11:47 a.m. ET, marking Tennessee's first execution since 2020.
  • Smith was convicted in 1990 for fatally stabbing and shooting his estranged wife, Judith Robirds Smith, and her two teenage sons in their Nashville home in 1989.
  • Tennessee resumed executions after halting them for five years due to COVID-19 and procedural errors, including improperly tested lethal injection drugs exposed in 2022.
  • Smith and other inmates have challenged the state’s revised execution protocols, which reduced safeguards such as detailed drug testing and pharmacist oversight; a trial is set for January 2026.
  • Despite new DNA evidence on one of the murder weapons, a judge denied reopening Smith’s case in 2022, and he consistently maintained his innocence until his death.