A 16-year-old male, Chad Altmon Burnett, was killed on October 1, 1989, in a violent triple murder in Nashville, Tennessee. His mother, Judy Robirds Smith, and his brother, Jason Burnett, also died in the attack. The family was discovered in their home, having suffered numerous injuries.
The investigation quickly focused on Oscar Franklin Smith, Judy's estranged husband and the boys' stepfather. At the time of the killings, the couple was separated.
It was also revealed that Smith had taken out an insurance policy on all three of the victims. The crime scene evidence indicated that Judy Smith had been shot in the neck and stabbed multiple times. Chad was shot in the left eye, upper chest, and left torso, while his brother Jason was stabbed in the neck and abdomen. An awl was recovered at the scene, but the gun and knife were never located.
Oscar Franklin Smith was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death in July 1990. Smith spent over three decades on death row at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. After numerous appeals, his execution was scheduled. A temporary reprieve was granted in April 2022 due to an issue with the lethal injection preparation. However, the execution was rescheduled and carried out on May 22, 2025.
