Byron Black, convicted of the 1988 murders of his ex-girlfriend and her two daughters, was executed by lethal injection in Tennessee. Despite concerns from medical experts that Black’s implanted heart device could cause him extreme pain during the execution, the Tennessee Supreme Court allowed the execution to proceed. Black displayed visible signs of distress and murmured, “It’s hurting so bad,” during the process. Black’s lawyers maintained he was intellectually disabled and that the execution was in violation of the laws of the country.
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The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that a death row inmate, Byron Black, can be executed without deactivating his implanted defibrillator. This decision overturns a lower court’s order and allows for Black’s scheduled execution, as the court found the deactivation requirement constituted a stay of execution, which the lower court was not authorized to issue. The ruling does not address concerns about potential suffering caused by the defibrillator during the lethal injection, leaving open the possibility of deactivation if it does not interfere with the execution. Black was convicted of the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend and her two daughters.
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A Tennessee judge has ordered the deactivation of death-row inmate Byron Black’s implanted heart device before his scheduled lethal injection to prevent potential shocks during the execution. The ruling comes after Black’s attorneys argued the device could cause extreme pain if triggered by the pentobarbital. The order mandates the state to have medical professionals and equipment on hand for deactivation, though the state is likely to appeal. This decision follows a long legal battle, including a clemency request citing Black’s cognitive disabilities and medical conditions.
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John Q. Hosedrinker