Tennessee Execution

Rev. Rick Laude enters the area reserved for those in support of the death penalty outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the scheduled execution of Tony Von Carruthers Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.

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Tennessee governor grants Tony Carruthers one-year stay after his execution was halted

Tennessee governor grants Tony Carruthers one-year stay after his execution was halted

Tennessee’s governor has granted a one-year stay of execution for Tony Carruthers after his lethal injection was halted when officials struggled to find a vein for more than an hour. Maria DeLiberato, an attorney for Carruthers, said she saw him “wincing and groaning” Thursday and called it “horrible” to watch. The Tennessee Department of Corrections said medical personnel had quickly established a primary IV line but were unable to find a suitable vein for a backup line as required by the state’s execution protocol. Carruthers was sentenced to death after he was found guilty of the 1994 kidnappings and murders of three people in Memphis.