Advocates for a Tennessee death row inmate are preparing their next legal steps after Gov. Lee granted Tony Von Carruthers a one-year reprieve.

The reprieve came after officials were unable to establish a vein for a backup injection line during Carruthers’ scheduled execution. Carruthers was convicted in a 1994 triple murder in Memphis.

Stacy Rector, executive director of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said concerns about Tennessee’s execution procedures have been raised since the state paused capital punishment in 2022 over problems involving drug testing and storage protocols. Despite that, she argued, the state adopted a new, less transparent protocol.

“The issue around accessing veins is one that has been listed in the litigation. There are others,” Rector noted. “Yes, it was a shock, but not a surprise because this is predictable and has been for some time.”

The ACLU said it is relieved Lee granted the reprieve and it will continue fighting to stop any future execution attempts. The organization said more than 130,000 people, including people who were wrongfully convicted, have signed petitions in support. More than 40 people are currently on Tennessee’s death row.

Rector stressed the one-year reprieve is critical because it provides time for essential DNA and fingerprint testing. She pointed out untested evidence exists, which could implicate another suspect, and ACLU attorneys are handling that aspect of Carruthers’ litigation.

“This gives them, the courts perhaps more time to reconsider, and we certainly are going to keep pushing as hard as we can to have those DNA and fingerprints tested within this next year’s timeframe,” Rector emphasized.

Attorneys for Carruthers had raised concerns the state may use expired lethal injection drugs. Rector added the court requested the actual expiration date for the drugs but to her knowledge, the issue is still being litigated.

Source: Public News Service