Olivia Burke
Tennessee's oldest death row inmate shared some chilling final words before he was executed earlier this week.
Oscar Franklin Smith, 75, was executed via lethal injection on Thursday (22 May), more than three decades after a jury convicted him of the murder of his estranged wife and her two teen sons.
Judith Smith was shot and stabbed alongside her children Jason Burnett, 13, and Chad Burnett, 16, at their home in Nashville on 1 October, 1989.
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The mother had separated from Smith, who she shared twins with, shortly before the grisly murders took place, and the killer had reportedly taken out insurance policies for all three victims, according to The Mirror.
Two of his colleagues also testified in court about how Smith had solicited them to kill Judith, while he had also repeatedly made violent threats about his wife and her sons.
During the murders, the trio had tried to call the police and alert authorities - and prosecutors said that one of the children could be heard in the background of the 911 call screaming: "Frank, no!"
At Smith's trial, the court heard how the boys had acted as 'heroes' and died 'defending each other and their mother'.
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Still, Smith maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution - right up until he took his last breaths a few days ago.
The 75-year-old was executed after eating hot dogs, tater tots, and apple pie with vanilla ice cream for his last meal, Tennessee Department of Corrections spokesperson Dorinda Carter told The Tennessean.
Smith shared a lengthy statement before the execution, slamming the government, legal system and Tennessee governor Bill Lee, who halted his scheduled execution in 2022 at the last minute.
"Somebody needs to tell the governor the justice system doesn't work," Smith said (via USA Today). "Too many of us are being killed for someone else's deeds."
As he began to lose consciousness, he reportedly uttered the words: "I didn’t kill her, I didn’t kill her," in reference to his estranged wife Judith.
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Smith's spiritual advisor was present for his final moments, which is a first for Tennessee, and she sang 'I'll Fly Away' at one point while also praying.
His lawyer, Amy Harwell, described him as a 'beloved child of God', while saying she was 'honoured' to have been involved in representing him.
The relatives of Judith, Jason and Chas also shared their thoughts on Smith's execution, with the family saying they 'continue to carry the pain' of losing them.
Judith's sister Teresa Osborne said: "It’s not a moment that goes by that we don’t miss them. I miss the sound of Judy’s voice - I know my brother does as well - on the other end of the phone.
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"We miss the excitement of planning Chad’s driving lessons, and we miss the pure joy of hearing Jason’s laughter. These are memories and wounds that will never fully heal."
Judith's brother Mike Robirds added: "No one should have to live in fear like our sister did. No family should have to endure a loss like ours."