Tennessee is set to execute Byron Black on Tuesday, making it the first known case involving an inmate with a defibrillator. Governor Bill Lee recently deferred Black’s execution, but legal battles continue regarding the risks posed by the implanted device. Black, 69, suffers from various health issues, including dementia and heart failure, and has a surgically implanted defibrillator functioning as both a pacemaker and an emergency device.
His lawyers argue that executing him could cause unnecessary suffering due to the potential for interference between the lethal injection and the defibrillator. A court previously ruled that the defibrillator should be disabled, but this decision was overturned by the state Supreme Court.
Black was convicted in 1988 for killing his girlfriend, Angela Clay, and her two daughters during a jealous rage. His legal team has sought to argue that he is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for the death penalty under U.S. Supreme Court precedent. These claims were denied in previous hearings, despite some expert opinions suggesting otherwise.
This execution will be Tennessee’s second since the resumption of the death penalty after COVID-19 closures, and it follows five years of suspension related to execution complications.
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