Strange habit America's oldest inmate had in prison as he dies aged 101

America's longest-serving prisoner has passed away aged 101, after eating his final meal a total of eight times, but being spared execution.

Francis Clifford Smith was convicted of murder in 1950 when he was just 25 years old.

But after spending more than 70 years of his life behind bars, the prisoner maintained his innocence until the very end, passing away in June.

He escaped from prison numerous times throughout his sentence - once in 1967, but was caught by officers 12 days later.

Later in 1974, he went home for Christmas Eve and came back the following day.

Smith gained a bizarre nickname in the Connecticut prison, after prison guards turned a 'blind eye' to his strange habit.

He was known as 'The Birdman of Osborn' in the jail, as he had a keen interest in feeding the birds.

Speaking with the BBC, Andrius Banevicius, the public information officer for Connecticut's Department of Correction, said: "He would stuff as much bread as he could in his clothing.

"Everyone kind of turned a blind eye to it because they knew he was just feeding the birds."

But it seems Smith wasn't alone as the oldest prisoner in the US.

Speaking with the outlet, Dr Stephanie Prost, a researcher in older adults in prison settings, noted that most facilities have an inmate similar to the 101-year-old.

"We're not the only jurisdiction that's facing that ageing-related crisis, because similar issues are percolating in Australia and England," the expert explained.

"It's an international issue in terms of the population. Although, of course, we have a larger number of individuals in the US."

After having his head shaved on the day of his eighth scheduled execution in 1954, the Board ultimately commuted Smith's death sentence to life imprisonment.

"I’ve been locked up all my life," he told the Boston Globe in 2023. "I just go from day to day as the circumstances present themselves."

Smith lived in a facility called 60 West during his final years, a center which provides specialist care to incarcerated individuals.

David Skoczulek, spokesman for the facility, said: "Essentially, he died of old age.

"He had very limited family involvement around his passing but we assured it was appropriate, met his wishes and was dignified."

Skoczulek added: "He did pretty well as far as longevity is concerned."

According to the Boston Globe, Smith's body was cremated and he had no funeral.

Infamous death row meals

Victor Feguer

Feguer kidnapped and killed Dr Edward Bartels in July 1960. The doctor's body was later found in an Illinois cornfield with a single gunshot to the head.

Feguer was convicted of federal kidnapping and murder and executed by hanging at the Iowa State Penitentiary on 15 March, 1963.

For his final meal, the 27-year-old murderer requested a single olive with the pit in it. Feguer apparently told guards that he hoped an olive tree would grow from his grave, 'as a sign of peace'.

John Wayne Gacy

One of America’s most notorious serial killers, Gacy was convicted in 1980 after murdering at least 33 boys and young men in the 1970s.

The 52-year-old was executed by lethal injection at the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois on 10 May, 1994.

Gacy opted for a bucket of KFC's original recipe chicken, French fries, 12 deep-fried shrimp, and a pound of strawberries for his last supper. In an eerie full-circle moment, it’s said that he previously managed several KFC restaurants owned by his father-in-law.

James Edward Smith

Smith was found guilty of fatally shooting Larry Don Rohus while he was robbing an office building in Houston, Texas, in 1983.

He was put to death by lethal injection at Texas’ Huntsville Unit on 26 June, 1990.

The inmate asked for a lump of rhaeakunda dirt for his final meal, as part of a voodoo ritual, which he both practised and believed in, as he hoped that it would assist his journey into reincarnation.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, his bizarre request was denied, and the 37-year-old was given plain yoghurt instead.

Timothy McVeigh

McVeigh was convicted of conspiracy, using a weapon of mass destruction, and destruction by explosives resulting in death for carrying out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people.

On 11 June, 2001, he was executed for his crimes via lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex in Indiana.

McVeigh, 33, chowed down on two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream for his final meal.

Lawrence Russell Brewer

Brewer was a white supremacist who, along with two other men, was convicted of murdering James Byrd Jr. in 1998.

Aged 44, he was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Texas on 21 September, 2011.

For his last meal, the criminal infamously requested: two chicken fried steaks smothered in gravy with sliced onions; a triple bacon cheeseburger with fixings on the side; a cheese omelette with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, peppers and jalapeños; a large bowl of fried okra with ketchup; one pound of barbecue meat with half a loaf of white bread; three fajitas with all the trimmings; a Meat Lovers pizza; one pint of vanilla ice cream; a slab of peanut butter fudge; and three root beers.

However, when it arrived, Brewer refused to touch any of it - you can imagine how that went down. His actions ultimately led to the state abolishing the long-standing tradition.