Source: SFGate
“Tennessee is set to execute an inmate Tuesday without deactivating his implanted defibrillator, as uncertainty lingers about whether the device will shock his heart when a lethal drug takes effect. Barring a late reprieve requested from the governor or the courts, Byron Black’s execution will go forward after a legal back-and-forth over whether the state would need to turn off his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD. The nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center said it’s unaware of any other cases in which an inmate was making similar claims to Black’s about ICDs or pacemakers. Black’s attorneys said they haven’t found a comparable case, either. The execution would be Tennessee’s second since May, after a pause for five years, first because of COVID-19 and then because of missteps by the Tennessee Department of Correction.” (08/04/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/tennessee-set-to-execute-inmate-without-turning-20801495.php