Tenn governor calls off execution, citing oversight in plan
2 years, 8 months ago

Tenn governor calls off execution, citing oversight in plan

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s governor on Thursday called off what would have been the state’s first execution since the pandemic began, granting a temporary reprieve to the oldest inmate on death row for what was called an “oversight” in preparations for the lethal injection. “Due to an oversight in preparation for lethal injection, the scheduled execution of Oscar Smith will not move forward tonight. Of the seven inmates Tennessee has put to death since 2018 — when Tennessee ended an execution pause stretching back to 2009 — only two died by lethal injection. For one, South Carolina has cited its struggles to obtain lethal injection drugs in recent years -- a problem in many states because pharmacies and manufacturers have refused to supply their medications for executions -- as it forges ahead with plans for a rare U.S. firing squad execution.

Death Inmate Nashville Smith Tennessee Inmates Injection Lee Execution Lethal Injection Lethal Tenn  tenn  lethal  reprieve  oversight  execution  injection  inmates  calls  inmate  citing  smith  drugs  plan  governor  death  tennessee

History of this topic

Alabama court says state can make second attempt to execute inmate whose lethal injection failed
11 months, 1 week ago

Alabama court says state can make second attempt to execute inmate whose lethal injection failed

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday rejected the appeal of a death row inmate who is scheduled to be the first person put to death with nitrogen gas and had argued that he shouldn’t face execution after a previous attempt at a lethal injection failed. Justices without dissent rejected arguments that a second attempt to execute Kenneth …

2 Tenn. officials fired after lethal injection errors noted
1 year, 11 months ago

2 Tenn. officials fired after lethal injection errors noted

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Correction has fired its longtime top attorney and another employee following a scathing independent report on failures within the state’s lethal injection system. The firings came a day before the Republican governor publicly released the report, whose findings cited widespread failures to conduct required testing on the injection drugs under Tennessee’s own rules, …

Report: Tenn has broken its lethal injection rules since ’18
1 year, 11 months ago

Report: Tenn has broken its lethal injection rules since ’18

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee has not complied with its own lethal injection process ever since it was revised in 2018, resulting in several executions being conducted without proper testing of the drugs used, according to an independent review released Wednesday. Stanton’s report rebuked top Correction leaders for viewing the “the lethal injection process through a tunnel-vision, result-oriented lens” and claimed …

Judge dismisses lawsuit over upcoming lethal injection
2 years, 2 months ago

Judge dismisses lawsuit over upcoming lethal injection

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala — A federal judge dismissed an inmate’s claim seeking to block his upcoming execution in Alabama because of reported problems at a recent lethal injection. But U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. also warned Alabama’s prison commissioner to strictly follow established protocol when officials attempt to put Smith to death next month. Smith’s attorneys pointed to a …

Tennessee execution pause through 2022 could last longer
2 years, 6 months ago

Tennessee execution pause through 2022 could last longer

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After Tennessee Gov. Many of the problems surfaced as part of challenges of Tennessee’s execution process by two death row inmates in federal court. Those cases are on hold until the investigation ordered by Lee concludes — but in the meantime, the state attorney general’s office acknowledged in a May 6 court filing that there may be …

Records: 2 people in execution knew drugs hadn’t been tested
2 years, 7 months ago

Records: 2 people in execution knew drugs hadn’t been tested

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — At least two people connected to a Tennessee execution that was abruptly put on hold last month knew the night before that the lethal injection drugs the state planned to use hadn’t undergone some required testing, newly released records show. Bill Lee had called off the execution of 72-year-old Oscar Smith barely an hour before the planned …

Tennessee Pauses Executions, Will Review Lethal Injections
2 years, 7 months ago

Tennessee Pauses Executions, Will Review Lethal Injections

Huff Post  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gov. Bill Lee paused executions in Tennessee for the rest of the year on Monday to enable a review of its lethal injection procedures after a testing oversight forced the state to call off the execution of Oscar Smith an hour before he was to die. He’ll also review the clarity of the lethal injection process manual …

Tennessee pauses executions till year’s end to review lethal injection procedures
2 years, 7 months ago

Tennessee pauses executions till year’s end to review lethal injection procedures

LA Times  

Tennessee is pausing executions to enable an independent review of its lethal injection procedures after a testing oversight forced the state to call off the execution of Oscar Smith an hour before he was to die this month. “However, the death penalty is an extremely serious matter, and I expect the Tennessee Department of Correction to leave no question that …

Attorneys want moratorium, probe after execution halted
2 years, 7 months ago

Attorneys want moratorium, probe after execution halted

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After an undisclosed “oversight” forced Tennessee to call off the execution of Oscar Smith an hour before he was to die last week, Smith’s attorneys on Thursday asked for a moratorium on executions and a review of the state’s execution protocols. Bill Lee issued a brief statement on April 21 at 5:42 p.m. saying that “due to …

Tennessee plans 1st COVID-19-era execution, more scheduled
2 years, 8 months ago

Tennessee plans 1st COVID-19-era execution, more scheduled

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is set to execute its first inmate Thursday since the start of the pandemic, planning a lethal injection procedure that has become less common in the state than the electric chair in recent years. The execution using the state’s preferred method puts Tennessee on a divergent path from South Carolina, which has been preparing for a …

Tennessee governor declines to intervene as execution looms
2 years, 8 months ago

Tennessee governor declines to intervene as execution looms

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s governor said Tuesday that he will not intervene in the scheduled execution later this week of an inmate convicted of fatally stabbing and shooting his estranged wife and her sons decades ago. “After thorough consideration of Oscar Smith’s request for clemency and an extensive review of the case, the State of Tennessee’s sentence will stand, and …

Oscar Smith: A Tennessee death row inmate is set to be executed after governor denies him clemency
2 years, 8 months ago

Oscar Smith: A Tennessee death row inmate is set to be executed after governor denies him clemency

CNN  

CNN — A man convicted of killing his estranged wife and her sons in 1989 is set to be executed Thursday after Tennessee Gov. The governor declined to intervene in Oscar Smith’s case Tuesday, setting the 72-year-old inmate up to be the first person executed in the state since the Covid-19 pandemic began. New cutting-edge DNA evidence excluding Mr. Smith …

State high court won’t hear inmate appeal as execution looms
2 years, 8 months ago

State high court won’t hear inmate appeal as execution looms

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeal of an inmate facing execution this week who sought to have his case reopened after an unknown person’s DNA was found on one of the murder weapons. The state Court of Criminal Appeals ruled last week that Smith didn’t provide evidence that he is innocent of …

Tennessee inmate seeks execution halt over DNA evidence
2 years, 8 months ago

Tennessee inmate seeks execution halt over DNA evidence

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee death row inmate asked the state Supreme Court on Thursday to vacate his execution date so that an appeals court could review new evidence in his case. Earlier this month, Smith asked the Davidson County Criminal Court to reopen his case after a new type of DNA analysis found the DNA of an unknown person …

Ohio governor delays more executions over drug shortage
2 years, 10 months ago

Ohio governor delays more executions over drug shortage

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. His actions Friday: — Moved the execution date of Percy Hutton, sentenced out of Cuyahoga County for the 1985 slaying of Derek Mitchell, from June 22 to June 18, 2025. — Moved the execution date of Douglas Coley, sentenced out of Lucas County for the carjacking and fatal shooting of 21-year-old Samar El-Okdi in Toledo in …

Oklahoma set to resume lethal injections after 6-year pause
3 years, 1 month ago

Oklahoma set to resume lethal injections after 6-year pause

Al Jazeera  

A 60-year-old Oklahoma man who stabbed a prison cafeteria worker to death in 1998 is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Thursday in the state’s first attempt to administer the death penalty since a series of flawed executions more than six years ago. The state moved forward with John Marion Grant’s lethal injection after the US Supreme Court, in …

Judge says Oklahoma can proceed with 5 lethal injections
3 years, 1 month ago

Judge says Oklahoma can proceed with 5 lethal injections

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled Monday the state can move forward with scheduled lethal injections for five death row inmates, including Julius Jones, whose case has drawn international attention and who is scheduled to die on Nov. 28. Judge Stephen Friot denied a motion for a preliminary injunction sought by the five inmates, paving the way …

Tennessee governor delays scheduled execution due to virus
4 years, 5 months ago

Tennessee governor delays scheduled execution due to virus

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee death row inmate received a rare temporary reprieve from Gov. “I am granting Harold Wayne Nichols a temporary reprieve from execution until December 31, 2020, due to the challenges and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Lee said in a statement. He chose the electric chair over Tennessee’s preferred execution method of lethal injection — …

Discover Related