Frank Lee Smith
- Year
- 2000
- Where
- Florida
- Source
- Innocence Project
- Evidence
- 1
In 1986, Frank Lee Smith was wrongly convicted of a murder and rape in Florida. He was exonerated 11 months after his death in 2000.
One-line description from the Innocence Project. Records change. The source is the authority.
Got ten minutes? Do one of these.
What evidence was the conviction built on, and what has changed since trial?
- Write down what the conviction rested on: eyewitness, confession, forensics, informant.
- Find the court opinion and read what changed after trial.
- Look for other cases with the same detective, lab or prosecutor.
New to this? Read the field guide. Five short lessons.
What is out there.
In the Internet Archive
Nobody has researched this case yet. Have the AI search the web for reporting, podcasts and videos about it.
Search elsewhere
More in Florida
Robert DuBoise
Robert Earl DuBoise (born October 1964) is an American who was wrongfully convicted in 1983 for the rape and murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams in Tampa, Florida. He spent nearly 37 years in prison, including three years on death row, before being exonerated in August 2020 through DNA evidence facilitated by the Innocence Project and the Hillsborough County Conviction Review Unit. In 2024, DuBoise received a $14…
1968 · FloridaOverturned
James Joseph Richardson
James Joseph Richardson (December 26, 1935 – September 16, 2023) was an African-American man who was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death in 1968 for the October 1967 mass murder of his seven children. They died after eating a poisoned breakfast containing the organic phosphate pesticide parathion. At the time of the murders, Richardson was a migrant farm worker in Arcadia, Florida living with his wife Annie…
2026 · Supreme Court of FloridaIn courtThomas M. Overton v. State of Florida & Thomas M. Overton v. Secretary, Department of Corrections
Supreme Court of Florida issued an opinion on November 13, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…is no such thing under Florida law as an “actual innocence” claim independent of newly discovered evidence…”