Governor Lee Declines To Grant Clemency For Death Row Prisoner

  • Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Governor Bill Lee declined to grant clemency for death row prisoner Oscar Franklin Smith.

Governor Lee said, "After deliberate consideration of Oscar Franklin Smith’s request for clemency, and after a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the State of Tennessee and do not plan to intervene.”

Smith was convicted for the 1989 murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her sons, Chad and Jason Burnett.

He is scheduled for execution by lethal injection on Thursday.

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