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He was supposed to be executed in 1954, but escaped 8 executions, the longest-serving prisoner in the US dies at the age of 101

2026-08-19 21:52:19Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
He was supposed to be executed in 1954, but escaped 8 executions, the
Francis Clifford Smith

Francis Clifford Smith, one of the longest-serving prisoners in US history, has died at the age of 101.

Smith, who always claimed innocence, had his last meal eight times after his execution was scheduled, but each time the sentence was postponed or commuted.

Smith was convicted of murder in 1950, when he was 25 years old. He was accused of the 1949 murder of Grover Hart, a night watchman at a Connecticut yacht club. He was arrested along with another man, who took a plea deal and testified against Smith. Smith was later found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

However, over the years, key evidence that led to his conviction began to be questioned. Several witnesses recanted their statements, while another inmate later confessed to the murder. Even one of the officers who had questioned Smith after his arrest later stated that he believed he was innocent.

"I'm not even sure he was present at the time of the murder," Major Leo Carroll told the Pardons Board. Doubts about Smith's guilt led to his execution being postponed several times. In 1954, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

Smith spent more than 70 years behind bars, with only a few brief stints outside. In 1967 he escaped from prison and was captured 12 days later. In 1974, he was allowed to go home for Christmas and returned the next day.

The following year, in 1975, Smith was released on parole. He stayed out of prison for about 10 months, but was arrested again for petty theft and possession of a weapon, violating the terms of his release.

According to former Board of Pardons and Parole Director Richard Sparaco, Smith refused several subsequent attempts to have him returned to the parole system. It was not until 2020 that he was allowed to leave under supervision and transferred to a care facility for the elderly, who had been part of the justice system.

During his years in prison, Smith also earned the nickname “Osborn’s Bird Man.” He fed birds on the prison grounds and, according to Connecticut Department of Corrections official Andrius Banevicius, would stuff as much bread as he could into his clothes to give to the birds. “Nobody really did anything about it because everyone knew he was just feeding the birds,” Banevicius said.

Smith's death brings to the fore a growing problem in prison systems: the aging of the prison population. Experts say long-term incarceration can accelerate physical and mental aging, leaving a 60-year-old with the health of a 90-year-old.

According to a 2025 study, the number of people 55 and older in American prisons increased by nearly 400% from 1991 to 2021. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2030, at least a third of the prison population will be over 50.


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