Tenn governor calls off execution, citing oversight in plan – By Jonathan Mattise (Associated Press) / April 21, 2021
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s governor on Thursday called off what would have been the state’s first execution since the pandemic began, granting a temporary reprieve to the oldest inmate on death row for what was called an “oversight” in preparations for the lethal injection.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee didn’t elaborate on what exactly forced the surprise 11th-hour stop to the planned execution of 72-year-old Oscar Smith. But Amy Harwell, an attorney with the federal public defender’s office representing Smith, said her office received a notice that the issue dealt with “mishandling” of the drugs — though no further specifics were provided to her office.
The inmate had been scheduled to receive a three-drug injection only a short while later at a Nashville maximum security prison.
“Due to an oversight in preparation for lethal injection, the scheduled execution of Oscar Smith will not move forward tonight. I am granting a temporary reprieve while we address Tennessee Department of Correction protocol,” Lee said in a statement promising further details once availabl
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