As reported by Unilad, F.C. Smith was sentenced for murder in 1950 when he was just 25 years old. His life behind bars was unusual not only because of the very long sentence. In prison, he even earned a strange nickname related to his hobby.
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Smith tried to escape from the prison several times. One notable attempt occurred in 1967 – at that time, the man managed to escape, but he was caught after 12 days. Another unusual episode happened in 1974, when on Christmas Eve he went home and returned to prison the next day himself.
However, what prison staff remembered most was his love for birds. In the Connecticut prison, Smith was nicknamed “The Birdman of Osborn” because he constantly tried to feed the birds living around the prison.
As BBC reported, Connecticut Department of Corrections public information officer Andrius Banevičius said Smith even hid bread in his clothes.
“He stuffed as much bread as he could into his clothes. Everyone kind of turned a blind eye because they knew he was just feeding the birds,” said A. Banevičius.
Still, Smith’s story is not the only example of such a long imprisonment. Experts point out that there are more very elderly inmates in US prisons. The problem of aging prison populations is noticed not only in America but also in other countries, including Australia and England.
“It is an international problem related to the aging of the prison population. Of course, there are more such people in the United States,” said senior prisoner researcher Dr. Stephanie Prost to the BBC.
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Smith was initially sentenced to death. In 1954, on the eighth scheduled execution day, the man’s head was shaved, but eventually, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
About his life in prison, Smith told The Boston Globe in 2023 very simply: “I have spent my whole life locked up. I just live day to day, depending on the circumstances.”
He spent the last years of his life at the 60 West center – a facility providing specialized care for incarcerated people. The center’s representative David Skoczulekas said Smith died of natural causes at a very advanced age.
“Basically, he died of old age. His family was very limited in participation at the time of his death, but we made sure everything was done properly, respecting his wishes and maintaining dignity,” said D. Skoczulekas.
According to him, despite everything, Smith lived a very long life.
After his death, his body was cremated, as reported by The Boston Globe. No farewell ceremony was held.
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