NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — A prominent group of Nashville pastors and priests has joined anti-death penalty advocates to publicly condemn Governor Bill Lee’s decision to proceed with the state’s upcoming execution schedule, following a failed lethal injection attempt two months ago.
The religious leaders, collaborating with the organization Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (TADP), gathered at Second Presbyterian Church in Nashville to demand a comprehensive investigation into the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) and its execution protocols.
The pushback comes after the May 21 execution of inmate Tony Carruthers was abruptly halted when a prison physician spent an hour and a half failing to locate a mandatory secondary vein. The error forced Governor Lee to issue a temporary, one-year stay of execution for Carruthers…