NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Supreme Court is postponing the scheduled execution of a death row prisoner for eight months because of the coronavirus.
Oscar Smith had originally been sentenced to die on June 4 for the 1989 murders of his estranged wife and her two sons in Nashville from a previous marriage.
On Friday, the court granted a motion requested by Smith’s attorneys to delay his execution. Smith’s new execution date is Feb. 4, 2021.
Smith's attorneys had argued that restrictions meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus prevented them from doing important legal work for the case.
Texas has delayed five executions due to the outbreak.
