Tennessee has a new execution method, 2.5 years after last scheduled execution abruptly halted
1 week, 5 days ago

Tennessee has a new execution method, 2.5 years after last scheduled execution abruptly halted

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — More than 2 years after Tennessee abruptly halted the execution of inmate Oscar Smith — admitting that correction officials were not following their own execution protocols — the state has announced a new method that could allow it to resume executions halted since May 2022. The Tennessee Department of Correction announced in a brief statement Friday it had “completed its revision of the lethal injection protocol, which will utilize the single drug pentobarbital.” The Department did not immediately release the new protocol to the public or give any further details. Kelley Henry, chief of the federal public defender’s habeas unit that represents many of Tennessee’s death row inmates, said the announcement was “notable for its lack of detail.” “The secrecy which shrouds the execution protocol in Tennessee is what allowed TDOC to perform executions in violation of their own protocol while simultaneously misrepresenting their actions to the courts and the public,” Henry said in a text message to The Associated Press. Documents obtained through a public records request later showed that at least two people knew that the lethal injection drugs the state planned to use hadn’t undergone some required testing. In announcing the new protocol on Friday, Strada said, “I am confident the lethal injection process can proceed in compliance with departmental policy and state laws.” Henry noted that death row inmates have an ongoing lawsuit in federal court challenging Tennessee’s previous lethal injection protocol, which used three different drugs in series.

State Henry Tennessee Injection Execution Lethal Protocol  scheduled  abruptly  protocol  public  state  execution  tennessee  method  halted  department  henry  injection  pentobarbital  lethal  25

History of this topic

Why Tennessee is keeping its new execution manual a secret
6 days, 11 hours ago

Why Tennessee is keeping its new execution manual a secret

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Just days after Tennessee …

Tennessee is refusing to release its new execution manual. Here is why it matters
6 days, 14 hours ago

Tennessee is refusing to release its new execution manual. Here is why it matters

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Just days after Tennessee announced it had a new manual for executing death row inmates, the state’s top prison officials said they aren’t going to release the document to the public. The Tennessee Department of Correction last week told The Associated Press to file a public records request to obtain a copy of the latest execution manual, …

South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
1 month, 4 weeks ago

South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s Supreme Court has not set a date for the state’s next execution after lawyers for four inmates out of appeals asked them to postpone deaths until after Christmas and New Year’s. The justices typically issue notices on Fridays because it gives the maximum amount of time of 28 days to prepare for the execution which …

5 executions have happened over a week’s span in the US. That’s the most in decades
3 months, 2 weeks ago

5 executions have happened over a week’s span in the US. That’s the most in decades

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — Death row inmates in five states have been put to death in the span of one week, an unusually high number of executions that defies a yearslong trend of decline in both the use and support of the death penalty in the U.S. Two more death row inmates, in Missouri and Texas, were pronounced dead Tuesday evening …

Utah scraps untested lethal drug combination for man’s August execution
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Utah scraps untested lethal drug combination for man’s August execution

Associated Press  

Utah officials said Saturday that they are scrapping plans to use an untested lethal drug combination in next month’s planned execution of a man in a 1998 murder case. Defense attorneys for Taberon Dave Honie, 49, had sued in state court to stop the use of the drug combination, saying it could cause the defendant “excruciating suffering.” The execution scheduled …

Alabama court says state can make second attempt to execute inmate whose lethal injection failed
11 months, 3 weeks 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 …

South Carolina has lethal injection drug but justices want more info before restarting executions
1 year, 2 months ago

South Carolina has lethal injection drug but justices want more info before restarting executions

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s highest court apparently is not ready to allow the state to restart executions after more than 12 years until they hear more arguments about newly obtained lethal injection drugs as well as a recently added firing squad and the old electric chair. South Carolina has not carried out an execution since 2011 after the state’s …

Court demands more info in South Carolina death penalty case
1 year, 11 months ago

Court demands more info in South Carolina death penalty case

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court ordered a lower court to collect more information from the Department of Corrections regarding the state agency’s attempts to acquire lethal injection drugs. The order reversed a previous ruling that denied the plaintiffs’ request for such information from the circuit court, which Chief Justice Donald Beatty wrote “abused its discretion.” “Inmates’ discovery …

Top Tennessee prison officials fired after report finds ‘shocking’ issues with death penalty drugs
1 year, 11 months ago

Top Tennessee prison officials fired after report finds ‘shocking’ issues with death penalty drugs

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Two top Tennessee corrections …

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 shines new light on execution secrecy in Tennessee
2 years ago

Report shines new light on execution secrecy in Tennessee

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When multiple pharmaceutical companies objected to Tennessee using their drugs to kill death row inmates several years back, the scramble to find lethal injection chemicals needed to carry out state-sanctioned executions grew frantic. The result: The state put a single employee with no medical background in charge of procuring the drugs, and the state’s own flawed lethal …

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

Gov. Lee: Execution report complete, will release later
2 years ago

Gov. Lee: Execution report complete, will release later

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Friday that the independent review into the state’s lethal injection procedure has been completed, but he refused to immediately release the findings. The governor’s office then refused to release records that could have illuminated his decision, citing attorney-client privilege and the disputed “deliberative process privilege.” Lee appointed former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton …

Attorneys: ‘Botched’ execution caused pain and torture
2 years, 1 month ago

Attorneys: ‘Botched’ execution caused pain and torture

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama prison staff strapped an inmate to a death chamber gurney, despite a court order in place at the time blocking the execution from going forward, and later subjected him to numerous needle jabs, including in the neck and collarbone region while an official held his head, attorneys wrote in a court filing. Attorneys for Kenneth Eugene …

Alabama governor asks to pause executions and review system after recent lethal injections halted
2 years, 1 month ago

Alabama governor asks to pause executions and review system after recent lethal injections halted

CNN  

CNN — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has asked the state’s attorney general to pause executions and requested a “top-to-bottom” review of the state’s capital punishment system following multiple failed lethal injections. “Ivey on Monday asked Attorney General Steve Marshall to withdraw the state’s two pending motions to set execution dates in the cases of Alan Eugene Miller and James Edward …

When Death Must Wait: Alabama calls off execution after problem with inserting IV
2 years, 1 month ago

When Death Must Wait: Alabama calls off execution after problem with inserting IV

Firstpost  

Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said prison staff tried for about an hour to get the two required intravenous lines connected to Kenneth Eugene Smith, 57 ATMORE: Alabama’s execution of a man convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher’s wife was called off Thursday just before the midnight deadline because state officials couldn’t find a suitable …

Alabama calls off execution after difficulties inserting IV
2 years, 1 month ago

Alabama calls off execution after difficulties inserting IV

Associated Press  

ATMORE, Ala. — Alabama’s execution of a man convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher’s wife was called off Thursday just before the midnight deadline because state officials couldn’t find a suitable vein to inject the lethal drugs. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said prison staff tried for about an hour to get the two required …

After difficulties with injection, Alabama cancels execution greenlighted by Supreme Court
2 years, 1 month ago

After difficulties with injection, Alabama cancels execution greenlighted by Supreme Court

LA Times  

Kenneth Eugene Smith, 57, was sentenced to death in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher’s wife and was to have been executed Thursday. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said prison staff tried for about an hour to get the two required intravenous lines connected to Kenneth Eugene Smith, 57. The postponement came after Smith’s final appeals, which …

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 …

Judge: State must preserve evidence from halted execution
2 years, 3 months ago

Judge: State must preserve evidence from halted execution

Associated Press  

ATMORE, Ala. — A federal judge on Friday ordered Alabama to preserve records and medical supplies associated with a lethal injection attempt after the prison system acknowledged multiple attempts to access the inmate’s veins before calling off the execution. U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. issued the order at the request of the inmate’s lawyers who are trying to …

State opposes lawsuit to block execution of Alabama inmate
2 years, 4 months ago

State opposes lawsuit to block execution of Alabama inmate

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The state asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by an Alabama inmate who is trying to halt his lethal injection later this month by arguing officials lost paperwork in which he selected an alternate execution method. The lawsuit by Alan Eugene Miller, who was convicted of killing three men in a workplace shooting in …

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 …

Oklahoma official seeks execution dates for 25 inmates
2 years, 6 months ago

Oklahoma official seeks execution dates for 25 inmates

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s attorney general has asked the state’s highest appeals court to set execution dates for 25 death row inmates following a federal judge’s rejection of their challenge to the state’s lethal injection method. In 25 similar filings with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday, Attorney General John O’Connor wrote that the federal court’s stays of …

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 …

Arizona execution on track after court challenges fail
2 years, 7 months ago

Arizona execution on track after court challenges fail

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — The planned execution of an Arizona man remained on track Monday after two last-minute court efforts ended without decisions that would sidetrack the state from putting 66-year-old Clarence Dixon to death. In the state Supreme Court action, the high court without comment declined to review last week’s decision from a judge in Pinal County that rejected arguments that …

Judge won’t halt Arizona execution — at least for now
2 years, 8 months ago

Judge won’t halt Arizona execution — at least for now

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — A federal judge on Saturday refused to halt an Arizona execution planned for Wednesday after the state provided attorneys for convicted killer Clarence Dixon with documents outlining testing done on the drug it will use, but an additional flurry of last-minute court action could still lead to a delay. Dixon’s attorneys also plan to appeal to the Arizona …

Tennessee pauses executions, will review lethal injections
2 years, 8 months ago

Tennessee pauses executions, will review lethal injections

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gov. Lee didn’t initially disclose the reason for stopping Smith’s execution other than to say there was an “oversight” in the preparation of the lethal injection drugs. In a Monday statement, Federal Public Defender Kelley Henry said the Republican governor’s decision shows “great leadership.” “The use of compounded drugs in the context of lethal injection is fraught …

Tennessee Pauses Executions, Will Review Lethal Injections
2 years, 8 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, 8 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, 8 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 …

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 …

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 …

Appeals court denies death row inmate request to reopen case
2 years, 8 months ago

Appeals court denies death row inmate request to reopen case

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An appellate court has denied a Tennessee death row inmate’s request to reopen his case after unknown DNA was found. The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruled late Thursday that Oscar Smith, 71, “has not presented new scientific evidence establishing that he is actually innocent of the murders of the victims,” The Tennessean reported. Earlier this month, …

Tennessee death row inmate seeks to halt execution next week over DNA evidence
2 years, 8 months ago

Tennessee death row inmate seeks to halt execution next week over DNA evidence

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors …

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 …

Nevada’s first execution in nearly 16 years on hold again
2 years, 10 months ago

Nevada’s first execution in nearly 16 years on hold again

Associated Press  

LAS VEGAS — Nevada’s first execution in nearly 16 years is on hold again after the state’s lawyers told a federal judge on Monday they couldn’t possibly satisfy the legal requirements necessary to put Zane Michael Floyd to death before April. The state’s lawyers requested Monday that Boulware go ahead and rule on evidence both sides presented late last year …

Timeline of events involving capital punishment in Oklahoma
3 years, 2 months ago

Timeline of events involving capital punishment in Oklahoma

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma conducted 112 executions from 1976 to October 2015, when the state imposed a moratorium following three consecutive flawed executions or attempted executions. The U.S. Supreme Court says later it will consider whether Oklahoma can use midazolam during executions, but it doesn’t disrupt Warner’s rescheduled execution. — June 29, 2015: A divided U.S. Supreme Court upholds Oklahoma’s …

Oklahoma set to resume lethal injections after 6-year pause
3 years, 2 months 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 …

Federal appeals court temporarily halts Oklahoma executions
3 years, 2 months ago

Federal appeals court temporarily halts Oklahoma executions

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal appeals court granted stays of execution on Wednesday for two Oklahoma inmates who were scheduled to receive lethal injections in the coming weeks. The panel wrote, “We find nothing in the relevant case law that specifically requires a prisoner to designate a method of execution to be used in his case by ‘checking a box’ …

Willie B. Smith III: Alabama death row inmate is executed nearly 30 years after murder conviction
3 years, 2 months ago

Willie B. Smith III: Alabama death row inmate is executed nearly 30 years after murder conviction

CNN  

CNN — Alabama death row inmate Willie B. Smith III was executed Thursday night, the state attorney general’s office announced, after the US Supreme Court declined to hear an 11th-hour appeal. “The family of Sharma Johnson has had to wait 29 years, 11 months, and 25 days to see the sentence of Sharma’s murderer be carried out,” state Attorney General …

Oklahoma sets 7 executions in 6 months; 1st since 2015
3 years, 3 months ago

Oklahoma sets 7 executions in 6 months; 1st since 2015

Associated Press  

Oklahoma scheduled seven executions Monday in what would be the first lethal injections for the state since putting them on hold six years ago following a series of mishaps. Among the men scheduled to die is Julius Darius Jones, even though the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board just last week recommended that his death sentence be commuted to life in …

Federal judge asked to halt 2 South Carolina electrocutions
3 years, 6 months ago

Federal judge asked to halt 2 South Carolina electrocutions

Associated Press  

FLORENCE, S.C. — Attorneys for two prisoners facing death by electrocution under South Carolina’s new capital punishment law are asking a federal judge to block their executions scheduled later this month, describing the electric chair as a particularly cruel and mutilating method of killing. The South Carolina Supreme Court set Sigmon’s execution for June 18 after prison officials indicated the …

Tennessee inmate’s execution put on hold due to COVID-19
4 years, 1 month ago

Tennessee inmate’s execution put on hold due to COVID-19

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Supreme Court on Thursday indefinitely postponed the execution of death row inmate Byron Black. In a brief order issued on Thursday, the court wrote that Black’s execution is stayed pending a further order by the court “because of the multiple issues caused by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.” Black was convicted by a Nashville court of …

Court panel allows federal execution of Kansas girl’s killer
4 years, 4 months ago

Court panel allows federal execution of Kansas girl’s killer

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A panel of federal appeals court judges is letting the U.S. government proceed with the planned execution of a man who kidnapped, raped and killed a 10-year-old Kansas girl. In an opinion early Thursday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said a federal law that regulates drugs requires the government to get a prescription for the lethal injection drug …

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