The execution of Tennessee death row inmate Tony Carruthers has been called off after prison medical staff could not find a suitable second vein to establish a backup IV line, as required by state lethal injection protocol.
A primary line was successfully placed, but attempts to insert a central line for the backup also failed. Governor Bill Lee has granted a one-year reprieve.
Carruthers, 55, was convicted in 1996 for the kidnapping and murders of Marcellos Anderson, his mother Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker. The victims were beaten, shot, and buried alive in a Memphis cemetery.
His case has drawn national attention, with the ACLU and other advocates arguing his trial was flawed-he was forced to represent himself, and key informants have since recanted. Kim Kardashian also urged her followers to demand DNA testing before the execution.
Attorneys argue Carruthers suffers from Schizoaffective Disorder and brain damage, impairing his ability to understand his execution. The ACLU vows to continue fighting, saying Tennessee cannot refuse to answer questions about his innocence.