William Smith may be the longest - serving prison innate in the United States . He has been behind bars for 40 years . At 81 , Heirens is diabetic and uses a wheelchair . `` He meets all the criteria for parole . '' He says his ' confession to the ` ` ' Murders '' was coerced .
William Smith may be the longest - serving prison innate in the United States . He has been behind bars for 40 years . At 81 , Heirens is diabetic and uses a wheelchair . He says his ' confession to the ` ` ' Murders '' was coerced .