MEMPHIS — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee granted Tony Von Carruthers a one-year reprieve from execution after corrections officials failed to establish a vein for a backup injection line during his scheduled execution in Memphis. Carruthers was convicted in a 1994 triple murder in Memphis.

The state had paused capital punishment in 2022 over problems involving drug testing and storage protocols. It later adopted a new execution protocol. Carruthers’ attorneys had previously raised concerns that the state might use expired lethal injection drugs, and the court requested the actual expiration date for the drugs, though the issue remains under litigation.

Stacy Rector, executive director of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said the reprieve was predictable given long-standing concerns about Tennessee’s execution procedures. "Yes, it was a shock, but not a surprise because this is predictable and has been for some time," Rector said. She noted, "The issue around accessing veins is one that has been listed in the litigation. There are others."

Rector emphasized that the one-year reprieve provides critical time to conduct DNA and fingerprint testing on untested evidence that could implicate another suspect. "This gives them, the courts perhaps more time to reconsider, and we certainly are going to keep pushing as hard as we can to have those DNA and fingerprints tested within this next year’s timeframe," she said.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it is relieved that Governor Lee granted the reprieve and will continue efforts to halt any future execution attempts. The ACLU also said more than 130,000 people, including individuals who were wrongfully convicted, have signed petitions in support of Carruthers. ACLU attorneys are handling the litigation related to the DNA and fingerprint testing.