25 April 2020 :

Tennessee Supreme Court delays upcoming execution, citing COVID-19. The Tennessee Supreme Court will delay an upcoming execution as the state prison system continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. Oscar Franklin Smith was originally scheduled to be put to death June 4. In an order Friday, the high court delayed his execution until Feb. 4, 2021. Smith, 69, was convicted in the 1989 murders of Judith Lynn Smith, 35; Chad Burnett, 16; and Jason Burnett, 13, in Nashville. Before the court's latest order, Smith was set to be the first Nashville defendant put to death since the state resumed executions in 2018. In a statement released after the court's order, federal public defender Kelley Henry said the justices had made the right decision. "Mr. Smith, who has always maintained his innocence, needs to meet with his attorneys to prepare a clemency petition and investigators need to interview people to get information for the clemency petition," Henry said. "None of that face-to-face work can happen at this time without risking public health."