Bio

Andrew Lavern Smith was born in 1960. He grew up in South Carolina, where he was raised in a family that included his cousins, Christy Johnson and Corrie Johnson, who were elderly and lived in Pendleton, South Carolina. 

After a series of events that culminated in violent actions, Smith was arrested and later sentenced to death for his crimes. He spent time on death row before being executed in December 1998.

Murder Story

On May 28, 1983, Andrew Lavern Smith went to the home of his elderly cousins, Christy Johnson and Corrie Johnson, in Pendleton, South Carolina. Smith was armed with a knife and a pistol. He asked to borrow their car, but when Christy Johnson, 86, refused, Smith attacked him. He struck Mr. Johnson with such force that he fell to the ground. When Mrs. Johnson, 82, came to her husband's aid, Smith stabbed her multiple times.

During the brutal attack, Smith stabbed Mr. Johnson 26 times and Mrs. Johnson 17 times. Both victims suffered additional injuries from being struck with the pistol. Once the attack was over, Smith took the keys to the Johnsons' car and drove away. The police later found the car stripped of its parts.

Smith was arrested after investigators connected him to the crime. He confessed to the murders and identified the knife left in Mrs. Johnson’s back as the weapon he used. In total, he was indicted on two counts of murder.

In January 1984, after a trial, Smith was convicted of the murders and sentenced to death. His appeals were repeatedly denied, including by the United States Supreme Court. Over the years, Smith filed multiple petitions for post-conviction relief, all of which were unsuccessful.

After spending years on death row, Smith was executed by lethal injection on December 18, 1998. His execution marked the 500th in the United States since capital punishment was reinstated in 1977. During his final moments, he did not provide any last words but was seen singing with his lawyer and chaplains. Smith faced protests outside the prison, where people gathered to oppose the death penalty.