An inmate’s legal team asked Gov. Bill Lee to delay his execution until the Tennessee Department of Correction can carry out the plan “in accordance with the Constitution, state law, and its own protocol.”
The request comes on behalf of Darrell Hines, who is scheduled to be executed on August 13 for the 1986 murder of Katherine Jenkins.
The letter from the Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee, asked Lee for a reprieve due to Hines’ medical condition, which they said creates a risk for “another gruesome spectacle.” They said Hines suffered a series of strokes, is unable to walk, and cannot move his left arm, hand, or leg.
Hines also requires assistance when moving. Attorneys argued that Hines’ condition could result in a “prolonged” and unconstitutional execution.
“He has major neurological and cognitive impairments,” Shabazz said. “He is in constant pain. The prospect of executing such a profoundly disabled individual is horrifying.”
Attorneys referenced the recent failed lethal injection of Tony Von Carruthers in May. Lee granted Carrruthers a temporary reprieve from execution for a year, after experts failed to locate “another suitable vein” for injection protocol.
Hines, along with other death row inmates, also filed a lawsuit to challenge the state’s lethal injection rules in 2025. The suit, filed in Davidson County Chancery Court, questions the constitutionality of the Lethal Injection Protocol.
The plaintiffs called out TDOC’s “recklessness and noncompliance,” communication restrictions, risks associated with the “poison” TDOC selected, and more.
The letter sent on behalf of Hines called out TDOC’s inability to test execution chemicals and said they failed to comply with 2025 Lethal Injection Protocol. Attorneys also asked if TDOC planned to use the same doctor that was used for Carruthers.
“The likelihood of another botched execution is not speculative or hypothetical, particularly in light of Mr. Hines’ significant medical problems.
TDOC’s documented mismanagement of the legal injection process shows that its personnel lack the knowledge, skills, and training to avoid serious mistakes and to adhere to the execution protocol.”
