Oldest Incarcerated Person in the US Dies at 101 Years Old After Execution Stayed Eight Times
He had served more than 70 years behind bars and was later moved to supervised parole in a care home for elderly prisoners, officials said.
- Smith, the longest-serving US prisoner who maintained his innocence for more than 70 years, died in June at age 101. He passed away in his sleep at 60 West, a nursing facility, while under supervised parole.
- Convicted of murdering night watchman Grover Hart at age 25, Smith was spared execution multiple times. Interrogating officer Major Leo Carroll later testified he was "not even sure he was present at the murder."
- Known as "The Birdman of Osborn," Smith fed birds by stuffing bread in his clothing while incarcerated. Andrius Banevicius, public information officer for Connecticut Department of Correction, said Smith "did pretty well as far as longevity is concerned."
- Smith lived his final years at 60 West under the MissionCare Health scheme, which operates three facilities in the northeastern US. Spokesman David Skoczulek said the facility provided skilled nursing and long-term care, ensuring Smith's passing was "dignified."
- Researchers like Dr. Stephanie Prost from University of Louisville argue cases like Smith's demonstrate need for "smart de-carceration." Imprisonment causes "accelerated ageing," with dementia arriving "significantly earlier" than in the general population.
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Longest-serving prisoner in US history dies at 101 — after dodging death penalty 8 times
A convicted murderer believed to be the longest-serving inmate in US history has died just months before his 102nd birthday -- after escaping the death penalty eight times while maintaining his innocence.
Francis Clifford Smith had been convicted of the murder of the night watchman of a yacht club back in 1950, spent more than 70 years in prison and avoided the death penalty eight times. His nickname ("Birdman of Osborn") evokes a history of American cinema
Francis Clifford Smith was served the last meal eight times, but each time he was exempted from execution. The man came to be considered inmate with the longest time spent in American prisons before he died at the age of 101. Convicted for murder in 1950, when he was 25, Francis Clifford Smith always supported his innocence, told BBC about people who knew him.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Shin Yu-ri = The longest-serving prisoner in the United States, who spent 76 years in prison with his execution postponed eight times, has reportedly died of natural causes at the age of 101...
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