diff --git a/services/ui_backend_service/data/db/tables/task.py b/services/ui_backend_service/data/db/tables/task.py
index 996a177e9..26af66f95 100644
--- a/services/ui_backend_service/data/db/tables/task.py
+++ b/services/ui_backend_service/data/db/tables/task.py
@@ -174,6 +174,12 @@ def select_columns(self):
             THEN 'completed'
             WHEN attempt.attempt_ok IS FALSE
             THEN 'failed'
+            WHEN attempt.attempt_ok IS NULL
+                AND attempt.task_ok_location IS NULL
+                AND {table_name}.last_heartbeat_ts IS NOT NULL
+                AND @(extract(epoch from now())-{table_name}.last_heartbeat_ts)>{heartbeat_threshold}
+                AND {finished_at_column} IS NULL
+            THEN 'killed'
             WHEN COALESCE(attempt.attempt_finished_at, attempt.task_ok_finished_at) IS NOT NULL
                 AND attempt_ok IS NULL
             THEN 'unknown'
diff --git a/services/ui_backend_service/data/refiner/task_refiner.py b/services/ui_backend_service/data/refiner/task_refiner.py
index c5732c538..2ce16d0ef 100644
--- a/services/ui_backend_service/data/refiner/task_refiner.py
+++ b/services/ui_backend_service/data/refiner/task_refiner.py
@@ -4,9 +4,7 @@
 class TaskRefiner(Refinery):
     """
     Refiner class for postprocessing Task rows.
-
     Uses Metaflow Client API to refine Task's actual status from Metaflow Service and Datastore.
-
     Parameters
     -----------
     cache : AsyncCacheClient
@@ -36,11 +34,12 @@ async def refine_record(self, record, values):
                 record['status'] = 'failed'
             elif value is True:
                 record['status'] = 'completed'
-
+        # If task is failed and _task_ok key exists in values but is None,
+        # the process was killed externally (SIGKILL bypasses finally in task.py)
+        elif record['status'] == 'failed' and '_task_ok' in values and values['_task_ok'] is None:
+            record['status'] = 'killed'
         if values.get('_foreach_stack'):
             value = values['_foreach_stack']
             if len(value) > 0 and len(value[0]) >= 4:
-                # The third one in the tuple is the foreach index. We access this way for backwards compatibility.
                 record['foreach_label'] = "{}[{}]".format(record['task_id'], value[0][3])
-
-        return record
+        return record
\ No newline at end of file