In a moment that has reignited debate over capital punishment in Tennessee, the state carried out its first execution in five years on Thursday, May 23, 2025. Oscar Franklin Smith, 75, was put to death by lethal injection at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution just outside Nashville. Smith was pronounced dead at 10:47 a.m., marking a grim milestone in the state’s justice system.
A Long Path to Execution
Smith’s path to execution spanned more than three decades. He was convicted of a brutal triple homicide that occurred in 1989, involving his estranged wife, Judith Lynn Robirds Smith, and her two sons from a previous marriage, Chad and Jason Burnett. The murders took place in Nashville, and prosecutors contended that Smith acted out of jealousy and rage during a bitter separation from his wife.
The court found that Smith entered the victims’ home and committed the murders with premeditated intent. In 1990, a jury sentenced him to death for all three killings, and he had remained on death row ever since.
A Halted Execution and Renewed Scrutiny
Smith was originally slated for execution in April 2022, but just hours before it was scheduled, Governor Bill Lee issued a last-minute reprieve. The decision came after revelations of procedural discrepancies in the Tennessee Department of Correction’s execution protocols. Specifically, concerns arose over improper preparation of lethal injection chemicals and incomplete training of the personnel involved.
The reprieve triggered broader scrutiny of Tennessee’s execution procedures, prompting several death row inmates and their attorneys to challenge the state’s methods. These legal challenges have since formed the basis of an ongoing lawsuit, with a trial on the matter scheduled for January 2026.
Despite these looming legal questions, Gov. Lee made headlines again this week by denying a collective request from attorneys to pause all executions in light of the ongoing concerns. His decision effectively cleared the path for Smith’s execution to proceed as planned on Thursday.
The Final Hours
As is tradition, Smith was offered a last meal before his execution. He requested hot dogs, tater tots, and apple pie with vanilla ice cream—a humble and quintessentially American menu.
Witnesses reported that the execution took place without any visible complications. However, representatives for Smith continued to maintain that his conviction was flawed, and anti-death penalty advocates argue that unresolved questions surrounding the state’s execution protocols should have warranted another delay.
Legal and Ethical Questions Persist
Though the execution has concluded, the broader controversy surrounding Tennessee’s use of capital punishment is far from over. The upcoming 2026 trial will examine whether the state’s lethal injection protocols meet constitutional standards and whether the personnel involved in administering executions are sufficiently trained and qualified. The lawsuit could potentially reshape how executions are handled in Tennessee going forward—or put a temporary halt to them altogether.
Smith’s execution also reignites a national conversation around the ethics of capital punishment, especially for inmates who have spent decades on death row, and for states where systemic issues in execution procedures have been identified.
As Tennessee closes the chapter on its first execution since 2020, it simultaneously opens the door to a new wave of legal, ethical, and political debate—one that could define the state’s criminal justice policy for years to come.
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