Francis Clifford Smith, one of the oldest and longest-serving prisoners in the US, has died at the age of 101.
Modern.az reports with reference to foreign media that Smith died in June at a facility in Connecticut where elderly prisoners are held under supervision. His death is reported to have occurred from natural causes.
Smith was convicted in 1950, at the age of 25, of killing Grover Hart, a night watchman at a yacht club in Connecticut, and was sentenced to death. He maintained his innocence until the end of his life.
His execution was scheduled eight times and postponed each time. Smith received his last meal on each of these dates, but the execution did not take place. In 1954, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
Over the years, questions also arose about Smith's guilt. Some witnesses retracted their statements, and another person claimed to have committed the murder himself. One of the police officers who arrested him later said that he was not sure of Smith's involvement in the crime.
Smith spent more than 70 years of his life in prison and is known as the longest-serving prisoner in US history. Since 2020, he is reported to have been living under supervised release.
He also earned the nickname "Osborn's Birdman" for feeding birds with bread in prison.
