Guards on horses are posted next to the area reserved for people opposed to the death penalty outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the scheduled execution of Tony Von Carruthers Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo\/Mark Humphrey)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-05-21T04:10:25Z<\/p>\n
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) \u2014 The planned execution of Tony Carruthers<\/a><\/span> in Tennessee was called off Thursday after officials struggled to find a vein for an hour, a lawyer present said.<\/p>\n Maria DeLiberato, an attorney for Carruthers, said she saw him \u201cwincing and groaning\u201d while officials attempted to find a vein, calling it \u201chorrible\u201d to watch. <\/p>\n In a written statement, the Tennessee Department of Corrections said medical personnel had quickly established a primary IV line but were unable to find a suitable vein for a backup line as required by the state\u2019s execution protocol. Efforts to insert a central line also failed, and officials called off the execution.<\/p>\n States have repeatedly had to call off executions because of such challenges. In Idaho in 2024, medical team members tried eight times<\/a><\/span> to establish an IV line to execute Thomas Creech, one of the nation\u2019s longest-serving death row<\/a><\/span> inmates, before calling it off; Idaho Gov. Brad Little subsequently signed a law making firing squad the state\u2019s primary method of execution.<\/p>\n