Tennessee Governor Halts Executions Following Botched Lethal Injection
Death row inmate Gary Wayne Sutton's execution is postponed as the state reviews its lethal injection protocols after a recent failed attempt.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has temporarily halted all executions scheduled before the end of the year following a botched lethal injection of death row inmate Christa Pike. This decision grants a reprieve to Gary Wayne Sutton, whose execution was slated for December 3.
Sutton was convicted of the February 1992 murders of siblings Tommy Griffin and Connie Branam. According to court records, the events leading to their deaths began on February 21, 1992, when Sutton, his uncle James Dellinger, and Griffin were drinking. A fight broke out, resulting in Griffin being arrested for public intoxication. Sutton and Dellinger bailed Griffin out of jail, but approximately 30 minutes later, witnesses reported hearing gunshots. Griffin was later found dead from a shotgun blast to the head.
The following day, Branam went searching for her brother with Sutton and Dellinger. She was later found dead in a scorched car, having suffered severe burns. Dellinger, a co-defendant, was sentenced to death but died of natural causes on death row.
Sutton, who has maintained his innocence, now awaits a new execution date in the new year. The state of Tennessee has not yet announced when executions will resume as it reviews its protocols following the incident with Pike. Pike did not die when administered two rounds of lethal drugs last week and remains hospitalized.
