US Prisoner Who Survived Eight Execution Dates Dies at 101

Francis Clifford Smith, a US prisoner who spent more than seven decades behind bars after being convicted of murder, has died at the age of 101.

Smith was convicted in 1950, at the age of 25, for the murder of Grover Hart, a night watchman at a yacht club in Connecticut. He maintained his innocence throughout his imprisonment.

He was sentenced to death but had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment in 1954. Smith was spared execution eight times as doubts emerged over the evidence used to convict him.

Questions surrounding the case included recanted witness statements, a confession by another inmate who claimed responsibility for the murder, and testimony from a police officer who said he believed Smith was innocent.

Known as the “Birdman of Osborn”, Smith became a familiar figure at Osborn Correctional Institution because of his habit of feeding birds around the prison.

Although he spent more than 70 years in custody, Smith had brief periods outside prison. He escaped in 1967 but was recaptured 12 days later. He was also granted parole in 1975 but returned to prison after being arrested for petty larceny and weapons possession.

In 2020, he was granted supervised parole and moved to a care facility for elderly people within the justice system.

Smith died peacefully in his sleep in June at a care facility in Connecticut. He was reportedly receiving specialised nursing and long-term care.

His death has renewed attention on the growing number of elderly prisoners in the United States, with researchers calling for measures such as compassionate release and medical or elderly parole for ageing inmates.

Smith was 101 and a half when he died.

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