Oldest US Death Row Inmate Executed in Tennessee for 1989 Triple Murder

Two death row inmates were recently executed in the United States after spending years on death row for heinous crimes. Oscar Franklin Smith, Tennessee's oldest death row inmate at 75, was executed for the 1989 murders of his estranged wife and her two teenage sons; he maintained his innocence until the end and called the justice system broken, despite a judge denying a case reopening based on new DNA evidence. Smith's conviction was supported by testimonies, his history of violence, and financial motives such as insurance policies on the victims. In Texas, Matthew Lee Johnson was executed for the 2012 arson murder of 76-year-old Nancy Harris, whom he set on fire during a robbery; Johnson expressed remorse in his final words, asking for forgiveness from the victim's family. Both executions involved lethal injection of pentobarbital and included final statements that reflected on their crimes and the justice system. These cases highlight ongoing debates about the death penalty and criminal justice reform in the U.S.