Tennessee calls off botched lethal injection after authorities fail to tap vein
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Nashville: The Tennessee Department of Corrections halted the execution of death row inmate Tony Carruthers on Thursday after staff spent over an hour failing to establish the legally required backup intravenous lines.
Although a primary IV line was quickly set up, executioners unsuccessfully attempted to find a secondary vein in Carruthers’ arms, feet, and neck before failing a final central line attempt in his chest. Following the botched procedure, Governor Bill Lee granted the 57-year-old a temporary one-year reprieve.
Carruthers' attorney, Maria DeLiberato, condemned the process as torture, stating her client was left groaning and bleeding. Convicted of a triple murder in 1994, Carruthers has maintained his innocence for 30 years.
Advocates and the ACLU continue to urge forensic testing on unmatched scene fingerprints and DNA, arguing his conviction relies entirely on paid informants. This halted execution marks Tennessee's first scheduled capital punishment of the year.
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