A witness has recalled the chilling sounds a death row inmate made after he was asked to ‘rate his pain’ during an execution that went wrong.
Tony Carruthers, convicted over his alleged role in three murders committed in 1994, was due to be executed last week. However, the process was halted after staff reportedly struggled to find a viable vein for the lethal injection.
According to the Tennessee Department of Corrections, medical staff were able to set up an initial IV line early on, but could not secure the required secondary line — a step mandated under TDOC’s execution procedures.
“The team continued to follow the protocol, but could not find another suitable vein. The team attempted to insert a central line pursuant to the protocol, but the procedure was unsuccessful,” a statement from healthcare professionals said.
“The execution was then called off.”
Earlier this year, a judge in Nashville approved an order allowing reporters to observe the full execution process if they chose to, meaning journalists could be present for — and overhear — a prisoner’s final moments.
Commercial Appeal said a reporter from its team witnessed the attempt and heard troubling details from the room.
The report claims an unidentified man spoke to Carruthers, asking him “what the pain was like?” and requesting that he rate it from one to ten.
Not long after, groaning sounds were reportedly heard before officials ultimately stopped the execution.
Casey Stubbs, who leads the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project, condemned what happened, calling the attempted execution ‘barbaric’, according to Commercial Appeal.
“Permitting Tony Carruthers’ execution without ordering DNA testing was a grave injustice,” Stubbs said in a statement. “This injustice turned barbaric when Tennessee’s efforts to set an IV line for the lethal drugs failed and the executioners continued to press forward anyway with the botched execution.”
Melanie Verdecia, a pro bono attorney representing Carruthers, also criticized the state’s actions, alleging officials were ‘torturing a man who maintains his innocence in the name of justice.’
“This is not how our system is supposed to work,” Verdecia added.
In the aftermath, Gov. Bill Lee granted a reprieve that pushes Carruthers’ execution back by a full year — a decision welcomed by those who have argued for decades that he is not guilty.
DeLiberato added: “I am so grateful that we are going to have a chance to prove what we’ve been saying and what Tony has been saying for 30 years, that he didn’t commit this crime.
“I cannot wait to tell his family.”