69-year-old Byron Black, who was executed by lethal injection this August in Tennessee. His death spurred renewed, furious debate about the ethics of capital punishment. Black ultimately spent 35 years on death row. He was ultimately convicted for the 1988 homicides of his then-girlfriend, Angela Clay, and her two daughters, Latoya and Lakeisha. His execution has received the most attention as it was plagued with allegations of intense pain and complications throughout the process.
On the morning of his execution, Black was given pentobarbital. This potent sedative was to put him down to sleep as his heart stopped. As soon as they pulled him out onto the tarmac, witnesses reported that he screamed in agony right before going lifeless. Staff spent nearly ten minutes trying to find a vein for the injection, according to reports. As a result, blood started to ooze out of the injection spot on Black’s arm.
Black’s execution raised a number of issues right away. An electrocardiogram (EKG) revealed that his heart was still beating almost two full minutes after officials officially pronounced him deceased. The EKG records indicate consistent cardiac activity for one minute, 50 seconds past the stated time of death. For one thing, this shocking discovery raised extremely serious questions about the humanity and effectiveness of the entire lethal injection process.
Kelley Henry, Black’s lawyer, expressed deep concern about the execution’s procedures and its implications.
“Did the IV come out? Is that the reason that Mr Black exclaimed, ‘It’s hurting so bad’? Is the EKG correct?” – Kelley Henry
Henry described the experience not only as torture but likened it to an “incredibly painful form of waterboarding.” She stressed the need for firsthand testimony from those who participated in the execution. This information will be critical in ascertaining whether any defect in the intravenous line caused or contributed to the problem during the procedure.
Black’s execution has reignited discussions, even among formerly supportive voices, about lethal injection as a humane alternative to capital punishment. His complicated medical history that includes permanent intellectual disabilities, advanced dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, severe heart failure, and prostate cancer—legal ethical wisdom should scream against this case. Death penalty opponents contend that, like… critics insist that these people… should not be met with capital punishment given their diminished physical and mental state.
“It’s very, very disturbing on so many levels.”
As public criticism grows, there is wide consensus that it is immoral to put severely incapacitated human beings to death. Reform advocates, even those who oppose capital punishment altogether, have pointed out that humane treatment cannot happen. They further demand new alternatives to lethal injection, particularly where it fails, as it did in Black’s case.
As of late this week, the Tennessee Department of Correction had not publicly discussed the details of the execution process. They have not addressed the issues that Henry and other advocates have raised, including. While the attention Black’s execution has stirred up exceeds any single execution, it could still bring state-wide scrutiny of lethal injection protocols.
The Tennessee Department of Correction has yet to publicly address the specific details regarding the execution process or respond directly to concerns raised by Henry and other advocates. The controversy surrounding Black’s execution may lead to calls for further investigation into lethal injection protocols statewide.