True Crime Chronicles: Over-protective mother killed Tahlequah woman in misguided effort to "protect her son"
- Dennis McCaslin
- Jun 24, 2025
- 2 min read
On the cold evening of December 4, 2001, the state of Oklahoma carried out the execution of 61-year-old Lois Nadean Smith, marking the end of a nearly two-decade legal saga that began with a brutal murder on Independence Day in 1982.
Known locally as “Mean Nadean,” Smith was the third woman executed by Oklahoma that year and the last woman to die by lethal injection in the state to date.
The crime that sealed her fate unfolded in Sequoyah County. Smith, her son Greg, and an accomplice picked up 21-year-old Cindy Baillie--Greg’s ex-girlfriend--in Tahlequah on July 4, 1982. Smith believed Baillie had threatened her son’s life and had accused her of reporting Smith’s alleged drug activity to police.
During the drive to Gans, Smith confronted Baillie, choking her and stabbing her in the throat. Once they arrived at a home in Gans, Smith shot Baillie nine times--in the chest, head, and back--and reportedly jumped on her neck to ensure she was dead. Greg Smith reloaded the gun during the attack and was later sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murder.
Smith was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Her appeals spanned nearly 20 years, with her legal team arguing for clemency as late as the morning of her execution. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board ultimately denied her request.
At the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Smith’s final moments were marked by remorse. Wearing glasses and appearing frail, she addressed Baillie’s family directly: “I want to say I’m sorry for the pain and loss I’ve caused you. I ask that you forgive me. You must forgive to be forgiven,” she said, quoting Scripture before being pronounced dead at 9:13 p.m.
Outside the prison, a small group of anti-death penalty protesters held a candlelight vigil, while victim advocates stood nearby in silent support of the execution.
Smith’s death was historically significant. She was the 17th person executed in Oklahoma in 2001--a year in which the state surpassed Texas in total executions--and the first woman executed in Oklahoma since 1903.
