Tennessee prepares to execute Oscar Smith, 3 years after last-minute reprieve
Share this @internewscast.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Over three years past, Oscar Smith was minutes away from execution when Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee unexpectedly delayed the process due to issues with the lethal injection drugs. On Thursday, Tennessee is set to attempt his execution once more.

In a recent phone call, Smith hesitated to dwell on his near-death experience in 2022. Instead, he expressed regret over Lee’s intervention, stating that the additional three years spent on death row have been “more than hell.” He mentioned a decline in conditions at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, although he didn’t provide specific details, accusing the prison officials of not adhering to their policies.

Smith, 75, said he asked his family to stay away on Thursday and not witness his execution because “they don’t need to see anything like that.”

Smith received a conviction for the murder of his estranged wife, Judith Smith, and her sons, 13-year-old Jason and 16-year-old Chad, at their home in Nashville on October 1, 1989. The following year, a jury in Davidson County sentenced him to death.

Some relatives of Smith’s victims do plan to attend the execution, Tennessee Department of Correction spokesperson Dorinda Carter said in an email. The Associated Press requested to interview relatives through the Tennessee Attorney General’s victim services office, but no one agreed to be interviewed.

“My own personal minister will be with me in the execution chamber with her hand on my shoulder praying,” Smith said. He is grateful for that, but also worried about her.

“I’m having a real hard time adjusting to the idea of having a young lady in the execution chamber,” he said. “She doesn’t need any bad experiences.”

Smith will be the first Tennessee inmate to be executed under a new lethal injection process released in late December that uses a single dose of the barbiturate pentobarbital. While the method is new to Tennessee, it has been used by other states and the federal government.

A review of the drug under President Joe Biden’s administration led then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to halt its use in federal executions, finding it had the potential to cause “ unnecessary pain and suffering.” New Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered the Justice Department to reconsider that decision.

Smith is suing Tennessee over the update to the execution protocols, arguing TDOC failed to follow the recommendations of a yearlong independent investigation called for by Lee in 2022. However, that trial is not until next January — too late to change anything for Smith. Only Lee has the power to stop the execution. He said on Tuesday that he plans to let it go forward.

While lethal injection is the state’s preferred method of execution, some Tennessee inmates in recent years have exercised the option of death in the electric chair, expressing the opinion that it would be quicker and less painful. Smith, too, had the option to choose the electric chair, but declined to make a choice.

“Because of my religious beliefs, I wouldn’t participate or sign anything,” he said. “I was taught that taking your own life, or having anything to do with it, is a sin.”

Smith has continued to claim that he is innocent. In a phone interview on May 7 — shortly before he was to begin a 14-day period of relative isolation that is part of the new Tennessee execution protocol — Smith mostly wanted to discuss his case and the various ways he feels his trial was unfair.

In 2022, a Davidson County Criminal Court judge denied requests to reopen his case after a new type of DNA analysis found the DNA of an unknown person on one of the murder weapons.

“Now that I could rebut everything they used against me, the courts don’t want to hear it,” is the way Smith sees it. He says he wants a new trial and “to be found truly innocent by a jury of my peers.”

However, the judge who declined to reopen his case found the evidence of Smith’s guilt extensive, citing prior threats and a life insurance policy taken out by Smith for the three victims.

Speaking about the execution, Smith said, “It sounds like we’re going back to medieval times, to the gladiators. People want to see blood sports.

“Why anyone wants to see anyone being killed, I don’t understand it. We’re supposed to be a civilized country.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Nominates President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Proposes Nobel Peace Prize for President Donald Trump

On Monday, President Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to…
University of Alabama student 1 of 2 killed in Florida crash over Fourth of July weekend

University of Alabama Student Among Two Fatalities in Florida Crash During Fourth of July Weekend

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Two people from Alabama died in a wreck…
Whitney Purvis arrested: '16 and Pregnant' star charged with involuntary manslaughter

’16 and Pregnant’ Star Whitney Purvis Arrested for Involuntary Manslaughter

The former reality TV star’s arrest is linked to a man’s fatal…
Gavin Newsom swings through South Carolina, where Democrats will play pivotal 2028 nominating role

Gavin Newsom Visits South Carolina as Democrats Gear Up for Key 2028 Nominating Role

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is embarking on a two-day tour in South…
People fleeing the Nova music festival.

New Testimony Uncovers Grisly Acts by Hamas: ‘Assaulted Deceased & Tied Hostages to Trees Before Shooting’

HAMAS terrorists raped and mutilated women during the October 7 attack, harrowing…
Mets can finally use ideal starting rotation to end first half

Mets Set to Utilize Perfect Pitching Lineup to Round Out Season’s First Half

On Sunday, Carlos Mendoza tried to keep his composure, but if there…
US adults want the government to focus on child care costs, not birth rates, AP-NORC poll finds

AP-NORC Poll Reveals US Adults Prioritize Child Care Costs Over Birth Rates

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Trump administration considers strategies to motivate more…
Quick-moving Texas river flood caught on camera in timelapse video

Timelapse Video Captures Rapid Flooding of Texas River

A timelapse video shows the rapid overflow of the Llano River and…
Flood-damaged building with its roof torn off.

Camp Mystic’s Somber Notification to Parents Revealing If Their Daughters Survived Texas Flooding Tragedy

Parents who left their daughters at the cherished Christian Camp Mystic in…
Jesse Jackson Jr. 2025: Many encouraging former congressman to run for Robin Kelly's seat in Washington

Support Grows for Jesse Jackson Jr.’s 2025 Bid to Succeed Robin Kelly in Congress

CHICAGO (WLS) — Is former congressman Jesse Jackson Junior planning a political…
Hakeem Jeffries tells 'The View' ICE is going after 'law-abiding immigrant families'

Hakeem Jeffries on ‘The View’: ICE Targeting ‘Law-Abiding Immigrant Families’

On Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on “The View,” expressing…
Dashcam footage of a bicycle collision.

Dashcam Video Captures Terrifying Moment as Boy on Bicycle is Trapped Between Two Cars in Unusual Accident

HORROR dashcam video shows a boy riding a bicycle being crushed between…