US prisoner who survived eight execution dates dies at 101

Francis Clifford Smith, a 101-year-old US prisoner who survived eight execution dates after spending over 70 years behind bars, has passed away, according to the BBC. Convicted of first-degree murder in Connecticut in 1950 at the age of 25, Smith maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration. He was accused of killing Grover Hart, a night watchman at a yacht club, in 1949, but the other suspect confessed and testified against him.

Throughout his imprisonment, doubts about Smith's guilt arose, with witnesses recanting their statements and an inmate later confessing to the murder. Smith was executed eight times and given a last meal before each execution, but his sentence was always commuted. He escaped prison once but was recaptured 12 days later. Smith was granted parole in 1975 and moved to a care facility in 2020, where he eventually died of old age.

His case underscores the challenges faced by aging prison populations in the US, with a 2025 study revealing a 400% increase in people aged 55 and older in US prisons between 1991 and 2021.