Execution Report: Richard Smith

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A jury convicted Smith of capital murder and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in Februay 1996.

Smith suffered from hepatitis C, believed to have been contracted through a shared heroin needle. After finding out that he was dying of liver failure, he decided in December 1998 to waive the rest of his appeals. "He told me at a hearing that the doctors explained how hepatitis C plays out, and that he was in enough pain as it was and didn't want to go out that way," said Harris County Assistant District Attorney Shirley Cornelius. Smith's condition had confined him to a wheelchair since May.

Smith's attorney, Guy Womack, said that he tried to dissuade him from dropping his appeals, but Smith told him, "Guy, you don't understand that I'll be much happier dead, and not suffering. If I win the appeal, what does that mean?"

At his execution, when Smith was asked if he wanted to make a final statement, he replied "No, sir," and turned his head away from the witnesses. The lethal injection was started. He was pronounced dead at 6:25 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 23 August 2006.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Attorney General's Office, Associated Press, Huntsville Item.