Robertson County TN man to be executed Thursday for ’89 killings

ROBERTSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE: (Smokey Barn News) – Oscar Franklin Smith, a death row inmate from Robertson County, is scheduled to be executed this Thursday, May 22, 2025, at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Smith, now 75, was convicted in 1990 for the 1989 murders of his estranged wife, Judith Robirds Smith, and her two teenage sons, Chad and Jason Burnett, in Nashville. He received the death penalty for all three killings.

According to documents on law.justia.com website, Smith was interviewed by law enforcement at the Robertson County Sheriff’s Department in Springfield during the initial stages of the investigation.

Smith’s execution was previously postponed in 2022 due to issues with Tennessee’s lethal injection protocols. Governor Bill Lee had then suspended all executions to allow for a comprehensive review of the procedures. The state has since revised its execution method, now utilizing a single-drug protocol with pentobarbital.

Despite ongoing legal challenges concerning the new protocol, Governor Lee has denied further requests to delay Smith’s execution, according to Smokey’s news partner, WSMV News 4. Smith’s attorneys argue that the revised method may not comply with legal standards and have raised concerns about the sourcing and testing of the lethal injection drugs.

Smith has consistently maintained his innocence, citing new DNA evidence that he claims points to an unknown assailant. However, courts have declined to reopen his case, stating that the new evidence does not meet the threshold required to overturn the conviction.

As of now, Smith remains on death row, with his execution set to proceed as scheduled. If you have any evidence that could exonerate Mr. Smith, now would be the time to come forward.

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