Trending Now - Concerns Rise Over Tennessee's Use of Expired Execution Drugs

WHO:

CNN - Tony Carruthers, a 57-year-old Tennessee death row inmate.

CNN - Amy Harwell, Federal Public Defender.

CNN - John W. Ayers, Assistant Attorney General.

CNN - Cody Brandon, Tennessee Deputy Attorney General.

CNN - Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee.

WHAT:

CNN - Carruthers was sentenced to death for the 1994 kidnappings and murders of Marcellos Anderson, Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker.

CNN - Carruthers' attorneys expressed concern that the state may use expired lethal injection drugs for his execution scheduled for Thursday.

CNN - The Tennessee Department of Correction declined to confirm whether the drugs planned for Carruthers' execution are expired.

CNN - In 2017, Arkansas issued death warrants for eight prisoners to use a batch of lethal injection drugs set to expire.

CNN - Executions in South Carolina were on hold for 12 years due to difficulties in obtaining execution drugs.

CNN - Tennessee has a history of problems with execution drugs, including a 2022 incident where Oscar Smith was nearly executed before a reprieve was issued.

WHERE:

CNN - Tennessee, specifically referencing the Tennessee Department of Correction.

WHEN:

CNN - Carruthers' execution is scheduled for Thursday.

CNN - The execution of Harold Nichols was mentioned as occurring in December.

CNN - A new lethal injection process was released in December 2024, and executions restarted in 2025.

CNN - Byron Black was executed by lethal injection in August.

WHY:

CNN - Public opposition to executions has made it difficult for prisons to obtain execution drugs.

CNN - Tennessee argues that its shield law extends to revealing expiration dates of execution drugs.

HOW:

CNN - The Tennessee Department of Correction claims it will comply with its lethal injection protocol, which includes regular inventory checks for expiration dates.

CNN - Tennessee has been forced to speed up executions or stop them entirely due to expiration dates on drugs.

(UPDATED May 21, 2026 01:43 UTC)

Tony Carruthers, a 57-year-old death row inmate in Tennessee, is scheduled for execution on Thursday for the 1994 kidnappings and murders of Marcellos Anderson, Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker. His attorneys are raising concerns about the potential use of expired lethal injection drugs, a situation complicated by Tennessee's history of issues with execution drugs, including a near-execution incident in 2022. The Tennessee Department of Correction has not confirmed the status of the drugs, but they assert they will follow their lethal injection protocol, which includes regular checks for expiration dates.