Torture by Protocol: The Shameful Execution of Tony Carruthers The botched execution of death row inmate Tony Carruthers in Tennessee has raised disturbing questions about the treatment of prisoners and the accountability of those who carry out capital punishment.
On Thursday, the state halted the execution after failing to establish an intravenous line for over an hour, leaving Carruthers groaning and bleeding from his attempted injection sites.
Attorneys for Carruthers claim that corrections officers attempted to administer lethal drugs through multiple veins in his arms and feet, with one attempt even involving a shot of lidocaine in his chest.