Ronald Smith, a Canadian on death row in the United States, is pleading for his life at a clemency hearing. Here is a look back at his case, which spans three decades.
August 1982: Twenty-four-year-old Ronald Allen Smith of Red Deer, Alta., hitchhiking with two friends through Montana, carries out the gunshot murders of Blackfeet Indian cousins Thomas Running Rabbit, 20, and Harvey Mad Man, 24.
A 1981 file photo of Thomas Running Rabbit, left, and Harvey Mad Man taken in 1977. Photos from The Associated Press.
February 1983: Smith pleads guilty to the killings and, having asked for the death penalty, is sentenced to be executed for the crimes.
1983-2010: Through numerous appeals to state and federal courts in the U.S., culminating with the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case, Smith attempts to have his conviction quashed or his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment.
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2000: Smith’s story is prominently featured in Globe and Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson’s book Star-Spangled Canadians, which described the death-row inmate as a “model prisoner” who felt “terrible remorse for his crime.”
October 2007: After a Postmedia News report about diplomatic efforts to win clemency for Smith, the federal Conservative government abruptly halts the mission and changes the traditional Canadian policy of automatically seeking clemency for Canadians facing execution abroad.
November 2007: Opposition MPs denounce the government’s new “case-by-case” policy on seeking clemency for Canadians facing the death penalty in democratic countries such as the U.S.; a team of Canadian lawyers representing Smith files a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Canada aimed at forcing the government to back Smith’s clemency bid.
March 2009: The Federal Court of Canada rules the government acted in an “unlawful” manner in halting clemency efforts for Smith and orders it to resume lobbying Montana authorities for his life.
March 2009: A bill to abolish the death penalty in Montana, previously passed by the state’s Senate, is defeated 10-8 by a committee of the state’s House of Representatives.
April 2009: The Conservative federal government announces it will not appeal the court ruling and agrees to resume efforts to win clemency for Smith.
March 2010: U.S. 9th Circuit Appeal Court rejects Smith’s bid to have his death sentence overturned. But Smith’s legal team takes hope from majority ruling that hints clemency should be granted in the case, stating: “By all accounts, Smith has reformed his life … He has developed strong relationships with various members of his family and has taken advantage of the educational opportunities offered by the prison that houses him. He has expressed deep regret for his deplorable actions.”
October 2010: U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Smith’s appeal of his death sentence, making executive clemency from Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer the Canadian’s last chance to avoid execution.
January 2012: Smith files a formal application for clemency with Montana’s parole board.
May 2012: A clemency hearing for Smith is scheduled at Montana State Prison, after which a three-member panel will make its recommendation in the case to Schweitzer.
May 3, 2012: Lawyers
for Smith accuse the Canadian government of reneging on an offer to speak on his behalf at a hearing in Montana to
determine whether he will get the death penalty or clemency.
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