Judge upholds sentence for former Oklahoma Death Row inmate

A Canadian County judge upholds the sentence for a former Death Row inmate, according to court records.

Richard Smith was granted clemency in 2010 after spending two decades on death row for killing John Cederlund in 1986.

Smith was commuted to life in prison without parole, but asked to be resentenced in 2024 under the Survivor's Act, claiming abuse led to the crime.

A judge denied Smith's appeal on the basis that he had no domestic relationship with Cederlund.

Smith has since been returned to state custody.