Topline: Tennessee called off Tony Carruthers’ execution after officials could not establish the IV access required for lethal injection.
Published: May 22, 2026 10:00 am ET
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NASHVILLE, TN — Tennessee officials halted the scheduled execution of Tony Carruthers on Thursday after medical personnel were unable to establish a backup IV line and later failed to place a central line, forcing the state to stop the lethal injection procedure.
According to the Associated Press via News4JAX, the Tennessee Department of Correction said a primary IV line was quickly placed, but execution staff could not find a suitable vein for the required backup line. After attempts to insert a central line also failed, the execution was called off.
Gov. Bill Lee later announced the state would not try to execute Carruthers again for at least a year.
Maria DeLiberato, one of Carruthers’ attorneys, said she watched him “wincing and groaning” as officials searched for a vein. She said it was horrible to watch and began crying after learning the governor had granted the reprieve.
Carruthers, 57, was convicted in the 1994 kidnappings and killings of Marcellos Anderson, Anderson’s mother Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker in Memphis. Prosecutors said Carruthers was trying to take over the illegal drug trade in the neighborhood where Marcellos Anderson was operating as a dealer.
There was no physical evidence tying Carruthers to the killings, and his conviction rested largely on testimony from people who said they heard him confess or discuss the crimes. One of those witnesses was later revealed to be a police informant who said he was paid for his testimony. A co-defendant, James Montgomery, was originally sentenced to death too but was later resentenced and released from prison in 2015, according to court filings.
Carruthers represented himself at trial after repeatedly complaining about court-appointed attorneys and threatening to harm several of them. His current attorneys have argued that paranoia and delusions prevented him from cooperating with counsel and have more recently claimed he is incompetent to be executed because he believes the government is bluffing and that his own lawyers are part of a conspiracy against him.
The halted execution adds Tennessee to a list of states that have struggled to carry out lethal injections because of IV access problems. The state resumed executions last year after a three-year pause that followed findings that Tennessee had not properly tested lethal injection drugs for purity and potency.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Tennessee Halts Tony Carruthers Execution After Officials Fail to Establish Iv LINE
Tennessee called off Tony Carruthers’ execution after officials could not establish the IV access required for lethal injection.
By Silvia Torres
Published: May 22, 2026 10:00 am ET
NASHVILLE, TN — Tennessee officials halted the scheduled execution of Tony Carruthers on Thursday after medical personnel were unable to establish a backup IV line and later failed to place a central line, forcing the state to stop the lethal injection procedure.
According to the Associated Press via News4JAX, the Tennessee Department of Correction said a primary IV line was quickly placed, but execution staff could not find a suitable vein for the required backup line. After attempts to insert a central line also failed, the execution was called off.
Gov. Bill Lee later announced the state would not try to execute Carruthers again for at least a year.
Maria DeLiberato, one of Carruthers’ attorneys, said she watched him “wincing and groaning” as officials searched for a vein. She said it was horrible to watch and began crying after learning the governor had granted the reprieve.
Carruthers, 57, was convicted in the 1994 kidnappings and killings of Marcellos Anderson, Anderson’s mother Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker in Memphis. Prosecutors said Carruthers was trying to take over the illegal drug trade in the neighborhood where Marcellos Anderson was operating as a dealer.
There was no physical evidence tying Carruthers to the killings, and his conviction rested largely on testimony from people who said they heard him confess or discuss the crimes. One of those witnesses was later revealed to be a police informant who said he was paid for his testimony. A co-defendant, James Montgomery, was originally sentenced to death too but was later resentenced and released from prison in 2015, according to court filings.
Carruthers represented himself at trial after repeatedly complaining about court-appointed attorneys and threatening to harm several of them. His current attorneys have argued that paranoia and delusions prevented him from cooperating with counsel and have more recently claimed he is incompetent to be executed because he believes the government is bluffing and that his own lawyers are part of a conspiracy against him.
The halted execution adds Tennessee to a list of states that have struggled to carry out lethal injections because of IV access problems. The state resumed executions last year after a three-year pause that followed findings that Tennessee had not properly tested lethal injection drugs for purity and potency.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Tennessee Halts Tony Carruthers Execution After Officials Fail to Establish Iv LINE
Tennessee called off Tony Carruthers’ execution after officials could not establish the IV access required for lethal injection.
By Silvia Torres
Published: May 22, 2026 10:00 am ET
NASHVILLE, TN — Tennessee officials halted the scheduled execution of Tony Carruthers on Thursday after medical personnel were unable to establish a backup IV line and later failed to place a central line, forcing the state to stop the lethal injection procedure.
According to the Associated Press via News4JAX, the Tennessee Department of Correction said a primary IV line was quickly placed, but execution staff could not find a suitable vein for the required backup line. After attempts to insert a central line also failed, the execution was called off.
Gov. Bill Lee later announced the state would not try to execute Carruthers again for at least a year.
Maria DeLiberato, one of Carruthers’ attorneys, said she watched him “wincing and groaning” as officials searched for a vein. She said it was horrible to watch and began crying after learning the governor had granted the reprieve.
Carruthers, 57, was convicted in the 1994 kidnappings and killings of Marcellos Anderson, Anderson’s mother Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker in Memphis. Prosecutors said Carruthers was trying to take over the illegal drug trade in the neighborhood where Marcellos Anderson was operating as a dealer.
There was no physical evidence tying Carruthers to the killings, and his conviction rested largely on testimony from people who said they heard him confess or discuss the crimes. One of those witnesses was later revealed to be a police informant who said he was paid for his testimony. A co-defendant, James Montgomery, was originally sentenced to death too but was later resentenced and released from prison in 2015, according to court filings.
Carruthers represented himself at trial after repeatedly complaining about court-appointed attorneys and threatening to harm several of them. His current attorneys have argued that paranoia and delusions prevented him from cooperating with counsel and have more recently claimed he is incompetent to be executed because he believes the government is bluffing and that his own lawyers are part of a conspiracy against him.
The halted execution adds Tennessee to a list of states that have struggled to carry out lethal injections because of IV access problems. The state resumed executions last year after a three-year pause that followed findings that Tennessee had not properly tested lethal injection drugs for purity and potency.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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