NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The execution of a Tennessee inmate was halted on Thursday after prison officials struggled to find a vein to administer a lethal injection.
Tony Carruthers, 57, was also granted a one-year delay, as Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued a reprieve after the failed execution, the Nashville Banner reported.
Maria DeLiberato, an attorney for Carruthers, told reporters that she saw her client “wincing and groaning” while officials attempted to find a vein, adding that it was “horrible” to watch.
Carruthers had been scheduled to die at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Thursday morning, WSMV reported.
Breaking News: Tennessee called off the execution of Tony Carruthers, who was convicted in connection with three murders, after staff members were unable to find a vein to administer lethal injection drugs. https://t.co/LfyjRpJDKc
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 21, 2026
After a lengthy delay, the execution was allowed to proceed, but medical personnel responsible for injecting Carruthers were unable to find hte proper veins.
According to the television station, the Tennessee Department of Corrections reported that medical personnel were able to establish a “primary vein,” but were unsuccessful in finding a required “backup line.”
Witnesses said the staff attempted to locate the proper vein for 90 minutes before the execution was delayed, WSMV reported. Carruthers was returned to a cell at the prison.
“Tennessee has effectively made the case against the death penalty,” Laura Porter, the executive director of the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty, told The New York Times.
The Banner reported that Carruthers was sentenced to death in 1996 after he was convicted for the 1994 kidnappings and murders of Marcellos Anderson; his mother, Delois Anderson; and Marcello Anderson’s teenage friend, Frederick Tucker.
There was no physical evidence tying Carruthers to the killings, The Associated Press reported. His convictions were primarily based on testimony from people who had claimed to hear him confess or discuss the crimes, according to the news outlet.
A co-defendant in the case, James Montgomery, received a new trial, according to the Banner. He subsequently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Montgomery was released from prison in 2015
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