Francis Clifford Smith, believed to have been the longest-serving inmate in American history, has died at the age of 101 following a life spent in prison after a murder conviction in Connecticut. Smith passed away in his sleep in late June at 60 West, a secured Connecticut nursing facility specialising in elderly care.

Throughout his decades of imprisonment, Smith's execution was scheduled and subsequently postponed on eight separate occasions. Despite his conviction, Smith consistently maintained his innocence, a claim that went unresolved during his lifetime as he aged into his final years in institutional care.