Longest-Serving U.S. Prisoner Dies at 101 After Eight Escapes from Death Penalty

Francis Clifford Smith, who was believed to be the longest-serving prisoner in U.S. history, died in his sleep on June 25 at the age of 101. He had been convicted of the 1949 murder of Grover Hart, a night watchman at a Connecticut yacht club, and was sentenced to death.

Over his 76 years of incarceration, Smith's execution was scheduled eight times, but each was postponed. He consistently maintained his innocence, telling the Boston Globe in 2023 that he was imprisoned with "no evidence at all."

Smith was 25 when he was arrested for the shooting death of Hart during an attempted robbery. The other man arrested, George Lowden, initially implicated Smith but later claimed authorities coerced his statement and refused to testify against Smith at trial. Over time, doubts about the evidence grew as a witness recanted her testimony, Lowden repudiated his earlier statement, and another inmate claimed responsibility for the killing.

Despite these developments, Smith never received a new trial. A judge rejected the other inmate's confession as not credible, and Smith's conviction remained. In 1954, his death sentence was commuted to life in prison.

Smith served decades behind bars, with three brief periods of freedom. He escaped in 1967 and was at large for 12 days. In 1975, he was granted parole and remained free for about 10 months before being arrested on larceny and weapons charges. He was returned to prison for violating parole, though he was not convicted of those charges. He later agreed to supervised parole in 2020, which led him to a secured nursing facility for older individuals in the justice system.

Smith died at 60 West, a Connecticut nursing facility, and was cremated without a funeral. A spokesman for the facility stated that Smith died of old age and that his passing was dignified and met his wishes, with limited family involvement.

Andrius Banevicius, public information officer for Connecticut’s Department of Correction, told the BBC that Smith was "101 and a half" and noted his longevity given his circumstances.