He escaped death at the last moment: execution postponed for a year after doctors failed to find his vein
The execution by lethal injection of a death row inmate in the US state of Tennessee was halted Thursday morning because medical staff were unable to find a vein to administer the lethal substances, US authorities said.
The inmate received a one-year stay of execution. PHOTO: X/@Punctualnews
Tony Carruthers, 57, was to be executed for the 1994 triple murder of Delois Anderson, Marcellos Anderson and Frederick Tucker.
According to the Tennessee Department of Corrections, the medical team was able to insert a main IV line, but could not find a suitable vein for the second infusion required by the execution protocol.
“Execution canceled”, the officials sent in a statement quoted by the New York Post, stating that the doctors also tried to insert a central line, without success.
The convict's lawyer, Melanie Verdecia, said that the medical staff struggled for more than an hour to find a vein, during which her client “he writhed in pain and moaned” in the execution room.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee later granted Carruthers a one-year stay of execution.
The convict has consistently maintained his innocence since his trial, in which he represented himself after conflicts with his court-appointed attorney. The defense has argued over the years that there is insufficient physical evidence to prove his guilt.
The case reignited the debate over the death penalty and methods of execution in the United States. Stacy Rector, director of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, called the failed attempt a “scary”, accusing the authorities of a lack of transparency.
On the same day, another inmate, Richard Knight, was executed by lethal injection in Florida for the 2000 murder of a woman and her daughter.
According to official data, 14 executions have taken place in the United States so far this year. Most have been carried out by lethal injection, but some states also use controversial methods such as nitrogen inhalation or firing squad.
Capital punishment is abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, and three other states maintain a moratorium on executions.
