The governor of Tennessee granted a reprieve on the execution of Tony Carruthers, who is on death row after his conviction for a triple-murder in 1994, after Department of Corrections medical staff could not insert a backup IV or central line. Photo courtesy Tennessee Department of Corrections
May 21 (UPI) -- A Tennessee man's execution was called off on Thursday after state Department of Corrections officers could not find a vein for a backup intravenous line.
Gov. Bill Lee said he granted a one-year reprieve to Tony Corruthers, who was convicted of triple murder in 1994, after the execution team botched finding a vein for the line.
Lawyers for Carruthers said he was in excruciating pain and "there was blood everywhere" after repeated attempts to access a vein at other potential IV sites.
"The state of Tennessee is currently torturing a man who maintains his innocence in the name of justice," said Melanie Vergecia, one of the attorneys representing Carruthers. "This is not how our system is supposed to work.
