What This Story Is About
- A group of pastors and priests opposes Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to continue with the state’s scheduled executions, despite the botched attempt on Tony Carruthers in May.
Why It Matters
- The state is scheduled to execute three more people this year: Anthony “Darrell” Hines on August 13, Christa Gail Pike on September 30 and Gary Wayne Sutton on December 3.
- Various legal teams and anti-death penalty groups are continuing to call for the state to pause its scheduled executions.
For Context
- Tony Carruthers’s execution on May 21 was abandoned after the physician could not locate a secondary vein while administering the lethal drug. This led the governor to grant Carruthers a one-year stay on his execution.
Catch Up
- Federal defenders are calling for a pause on Tennessee executions after an inmate was poked multiple times.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A group of pastors and priests from Nashville is gathering to voice opposition to Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to continue with the state’s scheduled executions.
Several heads of various churches in the Nashville area are joining the Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (TADP) on Thursday to publicly condemn the governor’s decision.
The group, along with multiple Tennessee lawmakers, wants a full investigation into how the Tennessee Department of Correction carries out its executions and what it is doing to correct the process…