‘Torture:’ Tennessee Lawsuit Challenges Lethal Injection as Unconstitutional
Governor Bill Lee granted the reprieve after officials failed for more than an hour to establish a backup IV line, according to prison records.
- On last Thursday, Tennessee's attempt to execute death row inmate Tony Carruthers failed after execution team members could not establish an intravenous line after more than an hour of attempts, prompting Governor Bill Lee to grant a one-year reprieve.
- Medical personnel quickly established a primary IV line but failed to insert the required backup line as protocol required; efforts to place a central line also failed, prompting attorneys to file a federal lawsuit naming Dr. Mark Walton Fowler, alleging he had not placed a central line in over a decade.
- Attorney Maria DeLiberato, present in the execution chamber, described staff 'exerting physical force, grunting, trying to like get the vein into Tony's body over and over, asking for a bigger needle, a smaller needle, a different needle.' Carruthers was punctured more than a dozen times during the failed procedure.
- Yesterday, lawyers with the Federal Public Defender's Office and American Civil Liberties Union urged Governor Lee to pause all executions until ongoing litigation concludes. Assistant Federal Defender Amy Harwell demanded the state ensure it is 'following its own rules and implementing appropriate oversight.'
- Three more executions are scheduled in Tennessee this year: Anthony Hines on August 13, Christa Pike on September 30, and Gary Wayne Sutton on December 3. Victim's mother May Martinez opposes any pause, urging Governor Lee to 'do the right thing' and not make families wait any longer.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Supporters of Gary Sutton speak after Tony Carruthers's botched execution
Supporters of Gary Wayne Sutton, the man convicted of of murdering a brother and sister in Blount and Sevier counties in 1992, are speaking out about concerns with Tennessee's execution protocol after the state's failed execution of Tony Carruthers last week.
Daily Post-Athenian
Tennessee LookoutPublic defenders ask governor to delay all executions amid litigation
In the wake of a botched execution, Tennessee public defenders are urging Gov. Bill Lee to extend a reprieve to all death row inmates until litigation over the state’s lethal drug protocol is complete. Lee issued a one-year delay for…
Federal defenders call for pause on Tennessee executions after inmate poked multiple times
The office is raising concerns about the abilities of those chosen to carry out the harshest criminal sentences, including Dr. Mark Fowler, who execution participants repeatedly failed to establish IV access while Carruthers remained strapped to a gurney.
'They poked and poked': Tennessee attorneys demand halt to executions after botched lethal injection
Defense attorneys say the state's 2025 lethal injection protocol is broken and are calling on Gov. Bill Lee to halt all executions while courts review the process.
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