Nashville, 21 May 2026
A planned execution by lethal injection in Tennessee was stopped at the last minute on May 21 after medical staff failed to locate a second required vein on the 57-year-old inmate.
The execution attempt marks the first in Tennessee since the state paused all executions for three years due to concerns about lethal injection protocols. Governor Bill Lee had lifted the moratorium earlier this year.
The inmate, convicted of three 1994 murders, has spent over three decades on death row while maintaining his innocence. His legal team recently filed new DNA evidence they claim supports his case.
Melanie Verdecia, one of the inmate's attorneys, condemned the failed execution attempt: "Der Bundesstaat Tennessee foltert derzeit im Namen der Gerechtigkeit einen Mann, der seine Unschuld beteuert. So sollte unser System nicht funktionieren."