Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee granted death row inmate Tony Von Carruthers a one-year reprieve Thursday after officials failed to establish a required backup IV line for his scheduled execution.
“I am granting Tony Von Carruthers a temporary reprieve from execution for one year,” Lee said in a statement.
The Tennessee Department of Correction said medical personnel quickly established a primary IV line but could not immediately establish a backup line, which is required under the state’s lethal injection protocol. Officials said the team continued trying to find another suitable vein and later attempted to insert a central line, but that procedure also failed.
The execution was then called off.
Execution Attempt Stopped
Carruthers, 57, was scheduled to die by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
Maria DeLiberato, an attorney for Carruthers, said she saw him “wincing and groaning” while officials attempted to find a vein, calling the process “horrible” to watch, The Associated Press reported.
The failed attempt renewed scrutiny over lethal injection procedures, particularly in cases where execution teams have difficulty establishing IV access.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Texas execution procedures require a medically trained member of the drug team to insert two intravenous catheters, one as the primary line and one as a precaution, before lethal injection proceeds.
Convicted In Memphis Triple Murder
Carruthers was sentenced to death for the 1994 kidnappings and murders of Marcellos Anderson, his mother, Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker in Memphis.
Authorities alleged that Marcellos Anderson was a drug dealer and that Carruthers was trying to take over the drug trade in the neighborhood.
Carruthers represented himself at trial after repeatedly clashing with court-appointed attorneys, including complaints about their handling of the case and threats to harm several of them.
His current attorneys have said Carruthers’ “paranoia and delusions” prevented him from cooperating with court-appointed counsel, while the trial judge viewed his conduct as willful.
Attorneys Challenged the Case
Carruthers’ current attorneys have argued that his mental condition should prevent Tennessee from executing him.
His legal team said Carruthers’ “paranoia and delusions” prevented him from cooperating with court-appointed counsel, while the trial judge viewed his conduct as willful.
Carruthers’ attorneys have also challenged the strength of the original case, arguing that no physical evidence tied him to the killings and that his conviction relied largely on testimony from people who claimed they heard him confess or discuss the crimes.
One witness was later identified as a police informant who said he was paid for his testimony, according to AP.
In court filings, Carruthers’ attorneys said he believed the government was bluffing about the execution to pressure him into accepting a plea deal that existed only in his mind.
They also said Carruthers believed his attorneys were part of a conspiracy against him and refused to speak with them.
Broader Execution Scrutiny
Several states have halted executions in recent years after teams struggled to establish IV access.
In Idaho, officials called off the 2024 execution of Thomas Creech after multiple failed attempts to establish a line. In Alabama, officials paused executions for several months after the state was unable to carry out the 2022 lethal injection of Kenneth Eugene Smith.
Tennessee resumed executions last year after a three-year pause tied to problems with testing lethal injection drugs for purity and potency.
Carruthers’ reprieve runs for one year.
