Death row inmate executed by lethal injection despite concerns over suffering
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Tennessee Department of Correction
Murderer Byron Black has been executed by lethal injection.
Black is the 28th death row inmate to be executed this year, and there's more prisoners to be put to death by the end of the year.
He received the death penalty for the murders of his girlfriend Angela Clay and her two daughters, aged six and nine, in 1988.
Black committed the heinous crime while on work release for the shooting of Clay's estranged husband.
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Black was 69 years old at the time of his death and was said to have been suffering with multiple ailments including dementia, kidney failure, brain damage and congestive heart failure, Sky News reports.
To treat his heart failure Black had a cardioverter-defibrillator — something his lawyers argued should be removed before his execution to prevent any unnecessary suffering that they said would violate his Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment.
Reportedly, the battery-powered device posed a risk of shocking the elderly inmate after the lethal injection was administered, so Kelley Henry, Black's laywer, feared his death would become a 'grotesque spectacle'.
Black's legal team were trying to delay his death with this in mind but a judge ruled that his execution was to go ahead as planned. They did say that Black's cardioverter-defibrillator should be turned off, however, over concerns that he could be 'subject to the severe pain and suffering of having his heart repeatedly shocked back into rhythm during his execution'.
While this particular judge ruled that the device should be turned off, The Supreme Court said on Monday (August 4) that the judge didn't authority to order the defibrillator to be deactivated.
US Supreme Court and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said on this, per NBC News: "The courts have universally determined that it is lawful to carry out the jury's sentence of execution given to Mr. Black for the heinous murders of Angela Clay and her daughters Lakeisha, age 6, and Latoya, age 9. Accordingly, I do not plan to intervene."
Black went on to be executed yesterday (August 5) and was pronounced dead at 10:43am.
According to media witnesses Black showed signs of discomfort and distress and told his spiritual advisor 'it hurts so bad'.
Henry now believes her client was 'tortured'.
It's unclear if the pain was a result of the injection or his defibrillator. There now will be an autopsy and a review of the device.
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