Lemuel Warren Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lemuel Warren Smith July 23, 1941 Amsterdam, New York, U.S. |
| Criminal penalty | Death, commuted to Life |
| Details | |
| Victims | 6 |
Span of crimes | January 21, 1958 – May 15, 1981 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | New York |
Date apprehended | August 19, 1977 |
Lemuel Warren Smith (born July 23, 1941) is an American convicted serial killer who was the first convict to kill an on-duty female corrections officer. Smith was already in prison for the murders of at least five people when he murdered prison guard Donna Payant at Green Haven Correctional Facility in 1981.
The murder of a guard in a maximum security prison was considered shocking at the time and brought scrutiny upon the New York prison systems. Smith is considered one of the most dangerous living inmates in the New York prison system and is housed in 23-hour-a-day isolation from other people.