NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Tennessee Supreme Court set two execution dates on Wednesday after executions in the state were put on hold due to the pandemic.
Oscar Smith had been sentenced to die on June 4, 2020, for the murders of his estranged wife, Judy Lynn Smith, and her two sons from a previous marriage, Chad and Jason Burnett, in Nashville. The state high court initially set a new execution date in February of this year before issuing an indefinite stay due to the pandemic. On Wednesday, the court set a new date for April 21, 2022.
The court set an execution date of June 9, 2022, for Harold Nichols, who was convicted of rape and murder in the 1988 death of 21-year-old Karen Pulley in Hamilton County. Nichols had been scheduled to die in August of last year before Gov. Bill Lee issued a reprieve, which expired on Dec. 31.
Two other inmates have had executions postponed due to the pandemic – Byron Black and Pervis Payne. The court has yet to issue new execution dates in those two cases.