On this date in 2001, Lois Nadean Smith was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma for the murder of her son’s ex-girlfriend.
By the standards of the 1,099 executions in the “modern” death penalty in America — those since the 1972 Furman v. Georgia Supreme Court decision — very little especially distinguished Smith‘s case.
Sentenced some 19 years before her death, she had committed a single horrifying and rather tawdry kidnapping and murder. Her guilt was in no question, although she stood trial along with her son — who received a life sentence — and would later argue on appeal that their lawyer had pursued a defense intentionally shifting blame onto her in order to save him.
As a woman, though, Smith was inherently an oddity. This date completed a remarkable year in which Oklahoma, having not put any woman to death since 1903, emptied its women’s death row with three such executions.
Including those three, only eleven women have been executed in the United States since Furman — or, indeed, since the Kennedy administration. There had been no calendar year in which three women were executed in the entire country since 1953 … and no single state had executed three women in one year since Virginia when the women in question were property.*
According to the Death Penalty Information Center:
Death sentences and actual executions for female offenders are also rare in comparison to such events for male offenders. In fact, women are more likely to be dropped out of the system the further the capital punishment system progresses. Following in summary outline form are the data indicating this screening out effect:
women account for about 1 in 10 (10%) murder arrests; women account for only 1 in 50 (2.1%) death sentences imposed at the trial level; women account for only 1 in 70 (1.4%) persons presently on death row; and women account for only 1 in 90 (1.1%) persons actually executed in the modern era.**
At the end of a chain of improbabilities, Smith apparently met her death with composure. “To the families, I want to say I’m sorry for the pain and loss I’ve caused you,” she said from the gurney. “I ask that you forgive me. You must forgive to be forgiven.”
* See charts of female executions through 1962 and since 1900, both courtesy of the comprehensive Espy file of all executions in American history.
** This calculation appears to be slightly dated, with women currently accounting almost exactly 1 in 100 persons actually executed. The last 117 American prisoners executed have all been men.
(All stats are as of publication date in December 2007)
On this day..
- 1969: Fred Hampton, "good and dead now"
- 1856: Six Tennessee slaves, election panic casualties
- 1531: Rhys ap Gruffydd
- 1914: The six martyrs of Vingre
- 1591: Four of The Sixteen
- 1900: Joseph Holden, killer of his own grandson
- 1778: Josiah Phillips, attainted by Thomas Jefferson
- 1723: The first London executions under the Waltham Black Act
- Feast Day of Santa Barbara
- 1896: Fred Behme, evangelical Methodist
- 1689: Karposh, Macedonian rebel
- 1937: Masao Sudo, since rehabilitated
Why does it take so long for the appeal system?
This woman should have been dead within 3 to 5 years tops. Her victim got no luxury of 17 extra years to live.
Every KILLER should have all appeals over within 5 years at the most.
Excuse me mrs moore, but your way of thinking, and brainwashed (not educated) response are y whites r a victimized people.
I agree with Dave, that remark from MB is just uncalled for. No someone like that woman was bad and she was dealt with, but using that kind of vulgarity just shows any lack of common sense to even stoop that low. Smith was a frightening evil person but don’t need to lower our self’s to get the point across.
It’s pretty obvious that Lois Nadean Smith’s brutality in the tortue and killing of the young girl (Cindy Bailey) was extremely disturbing to mb. No one should experience the ordeal of being stabbed, shot, and finally having the throat crushed as a cause of death – especially a girl who had her full life ahead of her. Smith got exactly what she deserved. But the electric chair would have been more appropriate. She died way too easy. mb’s blog is pretty harsh.But his pity toward the young victim is understandable. The bottom line is mb sympathizes for Cindy and her loved ones. He however, has an extreme way of venting his feelings toward Smith.
wow “MB” what sort of school did you attend? NO DOUBT THE NAME OF IT WAS PROBABLY SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS—“THE FRED FLINTSTONE-HUMPTY DUMPTY SCHOOL FOR ADVANCED MORON’S” WHERE DO YOU GET OFF WRITING SUCH A SOPHOMORIC PIECE OF DIATRIBE LIKE YOUR “COMMENT” ABOVE.??
DID YOU JUST “FALL OFF OF THE TRUCK”?? WHAT WAS THE “POINT” THAT YOU WANTED TO MAKE? THAT YOU COULD USE CUSS WORD’S? USING THE DEGRADING AND VULGAR ” C ” WORD? MY GUESS IS THAT YOU’RE EITHER SOME NEW FORM OF NEOLITHIC BARBARIAN,A NEWLY FOUND AMAZON RIVER BASIN SLUG,OR YOU’RE A TIME TRAVELING
LONGSHOREMAN !
DAVE MOORE
BOSTON MASS.
I’d like to shit on this filthy cunt’s grave. I’m so glad that she’s rotting in the ground being eaten by worms. Now good people no longer have to share air with this subhuman. Have fun being dead, bitch!
Read Lois’ convictions. And sad to say, the punishment reflects the crime…. I struggle with the amount of time it took to finally bring her to the death chamber. Sad no matter how you look at it. Everyone loses….
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