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6d ago

Tennessee Executes Oscar Franklin Smith, Ending Five-Year Moratorium

Smith, convicted of a 1989 triple murder, was put to death under new execution protocols now facing legal challenges.

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)
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Overview

  • Oscar Franklin Smith, 75, was executed by lethal injection on May 22, 2025, at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, marking Tennessee’s first execution since 2020.
  • Smith's execution follows a five-year pause in Tennessee's death penalty due to COVID-19 and procedural failures in the Department of Correction's execution protocols.
  • In 2022, Smith received a last-minute reprieve from Gov. Bill Lee after it was discovered that the lethal injection drugs were not properly tested.
  • The state adopted revised execution protocols in December 2024, removing detailed drug-testing requirements and pharmacist oversight, which Smith and other inmates are challenging in court.
  • Smith consistently maintained his innocence, but courts upheld his conviction for the brutal murder of his estranged wife and her two teenage sons in 1989.