Tennessee court reschedules executions postponed by pandemic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court has set two new execution dates after executions in the state were put on hold due to the pandemic. Oscar Smith had been sentenced to die in June 2020, for the murders of his estranged wife and her two sons from a previous marriage. On Wednesday, the court set a new execution date of April 21, 2022. The court set an execution date of June 9, 2022, for Harold Nichols, who was convicted of rape and murder. Nichols had been scheduled to die in August of last year before Gov. Bill Lee issued a reprieve, which expired on Dec. 31.