Francis Clifford Smith, believed to be the longest-serving inmate in U.S. history, died on June 25 at the age of 101. Smith had been sentenced to death in 1950 for the murder of Grover S. Hart, a 68-year-old night watchman at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. At the time of his sentencing, Smith was 25 years old.
Smith's life was repeatedly spared, with his execution scheduled on eight separate occasions. The Connecticut Board of Pardons commuted his death sentence to 25 years to life in prison in 1954, just two hours before he was due to be electrocuted. This commutation followed witness recantations and a confession from another inmate, George Lowden, who stated that Smith fired four shots while Lowden fired one. A lead investigator in the case also testified that he was unsure Smith was even at the crime scene.
Despite maintaining his innocence, Smith was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury in 1950. He ultimately served approximately 70 years in prison, which is thought to be the longest period served by any inmate in American history. He was still serving his life sentence, albeit on supervised parole, when he died at the 60 West nursing home in Rocky Hill.
Andrius Banevicius, a public information officer for the Connecticut Department of Correction, told the BBC that Smith's longevity at 101 was remarkable, especially given the environment of prison life.
While incarcerated at the Osborn Correctional Institute, Smith was known as the "Birdman of Osborn" for stuffing bread into his clothes to feed birds, an activity that staff largely overlooked. Smith's conviction stemmed from the July 1949 murder of Hart, who died two days after being shot. Ballistic evidence initially linked Smith and Lowden to the crime.
Smith's time in prison was not entirely uninterrupted. He escaped in 1967 and was recaptured after 12 days. He also briefly went home for Christmas Eve in 1974 and returned the following day. In 1975, Smith was granted parole but was arrested about 10 months later for larceny and possession of dangerous weapons. Although not convicted of these charges, he was returned to prison for violating his parole.
He reportedly refused parole for many years until he applied in 2020, stating he had been incarcerated for a long time and was already 95. This led to his parole into a nursing home, where he spent the final six years of his life. Smith's body was cremated, and he did not have a funeral service.
