Independent Review Of TN’s Lethal Injection Procedures To Be Released By End Of Year
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
In May of this year, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee halted all executions in the state of Tennessee until the end of 2022 to allow for an independent review of lethal injections. The results of the review are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
In May, Lee provided a temporary reprieve in April for death row inmate Oscar Franklin Smith because of a “technical oversight” in the lethal injection.
Smith, 72, was scheduled to die by lethal injection on April 21. He was found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder in the October 1, 1989, killings of his estranged wife and her two sons from a previous marriage.
Lee stated that he was made aware of the issues with the lethal injection medication on the day of the execution.
The governor’s office refused to answer questions regarding the nature of the oversight but said the halt to executions will provide enough time for an outside party to do a complete review and assessment of the process.
Lee has since delayed an additional four executions.
Shortly following Smith’s temporary reprieve in April, the state retained former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton to conduct an independent review and potentially recommend corrective actions.
Lee’s office told the Tennessean that the report was complete on Friday morning of week before last but his office declined to release it to reporters or to Smith’s attorneys.
The public release of the report and the state’s next steps, if any, are expected by the last day of the year at the latest, Lee said.
Lee stated that the entire report would be made public.
Since Smith’s temporary reprieve in April, state agencies have referred to what happened as an “oversight in adhering to the TDOC lethal injection protocol.”
In Tennessee state law, the protocol details how the lethal injection pharmaceuticals are to be obtained, preserved and prepared before usage.
An investigation by The Tennessean found the state has not followed its own lethal injection protocols since 2018, in which time the state executed two people by the method.
A federal public defender who represents several death row defendants including Smith, called for an independent review early on and is pushing for personnel and protocol changes to Tennessee executions.
Friday’s news release did not contain details on what went askew in April, nor if the current execution reprieves would be extended and the state has yet to schedule any execution dates for 2023.
Tennessee’s Supreme Court has the power to set new execution dates but none have currently been scheduled.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
Who cares about the process of lethal injection. They are murders. Nothing more than a stall tactic. Did they give their victims a choice or a review?? Total was of tax money. Get back to basics a rope or firing squad!!