Francis Clifford Smith, believed to be the oldest death row inmate in US history, has died at the age of 101. He famously ate eight 'last meals' and never made it to the execution chair.
Crime and sentencing
Smith, from Connecticut, was sentenced to die in 1950 for the murder of Grover Hart, a night watchman shot dead during a 1949 robbery at a yacht club in Greenwich, Connecticut. Smith was 25 when he was convicted of first-degree murder and condemned to the electric chair.
But in a twist that haunted Connecticut's justice system for decades, Smith's execution was scheduled eight separate times. On every occasion he went through the full ritual, which included meeting a chaplain and eating what was supposed to be his final meal. Smith's exact eight 'last meals' have never been revealed by prison officials.
Closest brush with death
Smith's closest brush with death came in July 1954, during his eighth execution date. His head had already been shaved for the chair when, just hours before he was due to die, the police major who had originally questioned him dramatically intervened at a Board of Pardons meeting and declared he believed Smith was innocent. That major, Leo Carroll, later told a three-hour hearing he was certain the state had the wrong man, the Daily Mail reported.
'I was positive [Smith] didn't kill Grover Hart,' he told GreenwichTime. 'I'm not even sure he was at the murder.'
Life in prison and parole
Over time, doubts piled up. Key witnesses reportedly recanted their statements, and another inmate confessed to the killing. With the case in turmoil, Smith's death sentence was eventually commuted to life in prison. Smith reportedly maintained his innocence until the end.
He spent much of his time at Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers, earning the unlikely nickname 'the Birdman of Osborn' for secretly feeding birds. Connecticut Department of Correction spokesman Andrius Banevicius said Smith would 'stuff as much bread as he could' into his clothes. 'Everyone kind of turned a blind eye to it,' he told GreenwichTime.
Smith escaped once in 1967 but was caught 12 days later. He was paroled in 1975, then returned to prison 10 months later for a violation, before finally accepting supervised parole in 2020.
Death at 101
Smith died in June 2026 in a secure nursing facility in Rocky Hill while on supervised parole. A spokesman for 60 West, David Skoczulek, told the BBC he had 'essentially ... died of old age'. He added: 'He had very limited family involvement around his passing but we assured it was appropriate, met his wishes and was dignified.'
Banevicius summed up the staggering longevity of a man who spent more than 70 years in custody: 'It's quite remarkable to make it to 101, for anyone. Prison life is not great for longevity. It's quite unusual.'
