Latest news with #TDOC
USA Today
06-08-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Nashville General Hospital declines to disconnect inmate's heart device before execution
Hospital says it has no role in executions and that the state's account of its involvement is inaccurate. A local hospital where the state has been ordered to disconnect a death row inmate's heart device before his execution now says it never agreed to perform the procedure. Byron Black, 69, is set to be executed on Aug. 5 for the 1988 South Nashville murders of his ex-girlfriend Angela Clay and her two young daughters. His case is growing ever more complicated with his execution just days away. Black's lawyers have argued that his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for congestive heart failure would cause a prolonged and painful death by shocking him repeatedly as the lethal injection drug works its way through his system. A Davidson County Chancery Court judge in July ordered the state to disconnect the device on the morning of his execution at Nashville General Hospital. The state Attorney General's Office has pushed back on the order and is now appealing to the Tennessee Supreme Court. The state in court documents said a third-party provider would be willing to deactivate the device on Aug. 4 at Nashville General Hospital, as technicians would not come to the prison to perform the procedure. But Nashville General Hospital in a statement July 30 said reports of its involvement are inaccurate and that it has no role in executions. 'The correctional healthcare provider contracted by the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), did not contact appropriate Nashville General Hospital leadership with its request to deactivate the implanted defibrillator,' Nashville General spokesperson Cathy Poole said in a statement. 'Any assertion the hospital would participate in the procedure was premature. Our contract with the correctional healthcare provider is to support the ongoing medical care of its patients." Poole said the request would require cooperation with 'several other entities, all of which have indicated they are unwilling to participate.' The debacle was first reported by WLPN news. TDOC deferred questions to the Tennessee Attorney General's Office. The office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'TDOC has mishandled this situation from the beginning,' Black's lawyer Kelley Henry, a supervisory assistant federal public defender, said in a statement. 'My hope is that the Governor will issue a reprieve to avoid a gruesome spectacle.' It's unclear what will now happen in his case. His execution is set to move forward unless a stay is issued by the U.S. Supreme Court or Gov. Bill Lee. Black filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme court on July 29 asking to stay his execution. His lawyers have noted that he is intellectually disabled and suffers from dementia, brain damage and heart failure. Under today's laws, he would not be eligible for execution.
Washington Post
05-08-2025
- Washington Post
Tennessee executes man after legal battle over heart device
Byron Black was executed in Nashville on Tuesday morning after a first-of-its-kind legal battle over the deactivation of Black's implanted heart device. Black, 69, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 10:43 a.m. local time at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) Commissioner Frank Strada said at a news conference. He spent more than 35 years on death row for the 1988 murders of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and Clay's daughters, Latoya, 9, and Lakeisha, 6.
Daily Mirror
31-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Hospital 'never agreed' to deactivate inmate's heart device before execution
A Tennessee hospital says it never agreed to a request by state officials who face a court order to turn off a death row inmate's heart-regulating implant before receiving a lethal injection next week A local hospital where the state has been ordered to disconnect a death row inmate's heart-regulating implant before his execution now says it never agreed to perform the procedure. Byron Black, 69, is due to be executed on Tuesday August 5 for the 1988 South Nashville murders of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya, 9, and Lakeisha, 6. However, his case is growing ever more complicated with his execution just days away. Black's lawyers have argued that his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for congestive heart failure would cause a prolonged and painful death by shocking him as the lethal injection drug works its way through his body. It comes after Donald Trump was seen with a mystery mark in Scotland after his chronic health diagnosis. A Nashville judge ordered the deactivation of his device but on Wednesday, Nashville General Hospital spokesperson Cathy Poole said the medical center did not agree to participate, saying the hospital 'has no role in State executions.' Black's attorneys say his heart device would continuously shock him in an attempt to restore his heart's normal rhythm, but the state disputes that and argues that even if shocks were triggered, that Black wouldn't feel them. In its statement, the hospital said, 'Earlier reports of Nashville General Hospital's involvement are inaccurate. The correctional healthcare provider contracted by the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), did not contact appropriate Nashville General Hospital leadership with its request to deactivate the implanted defibrillator,' Poole said. 'Any assertion the hospital would participate in the procedure was premature. 'Our contract with the correctional healthcare provider is to support the ongoing medical care of its patients,' Poole continued. 'This request is well outside of that agreement and would also require cooperation with several other entities, all of which have indicated they are unwilling to participate.' Appeals are underway Kelley Henry, an attorney for Black, said, 'TDOC has mishandled this situation from the beginning. My hope is that the Governor will issue a reprieve to avoid a gruesome spectacle.' Black's final appeals for a reprieve are pending in state and federal courts, and through a clemency request with GOP Gov. Bill Lee. They also include an intellectual disability claim. The state has since sought to overturn the order to deactivate Black's implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, including when and where to do it. The state Supreme Court is considering the request. TDOC deferred questions to the Tennessee Attorney General's Office. The office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Winnipeg Free Press
30-07-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Hospital says it never agreed to deactivate inmate's heart device before execution
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee hospital says it never agreed to a request by state officials who face a court order to turn off a death row inmate's heart-regulating implant before his execution next week. After a Nashville judge ordered the deactivation of Byron Black's device, a Tennessee Department of Correction official said in a court declaration that Nashville General Hospital told her they could disable it the day before his Aug. 5 execution at 10 a.m., but wouldn't come to the prison on execution day, as the judge had ordered. The judge ultimately allowed some leniency, saying Black could be moved to the hospital the morning of the execution. But on Wednesday, Nashville General Hospital spokesperson Cathy Poole said the medical center did not agree to participate at all, saying the hospital 'has no role in State executions.' The statement adds a significant complication to the court case, which relied on the state's comment about Nashville General's expected involvement. The order is under appeal, as the days dwindle before the execution. Black's attorneys say his heart device would continuously shock him in an attempt to restore his heart's normal rhythm due to the lethal injection of pentobarbital, but the state disputes that and argues that even if shocks were triggered, that Black wouldn't feel them. WPLN-FM first reported on the statement from the hospital, which said, 'Earlier reports of Nashville General Hospital's involvement are inaccurate.' 'The correctional healthcare provider contracted by the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), did not contact appropriate Nashville General Hospital leadership with its request to deactivate the implanted defibrillator,' Poole said. 'Any assertion the hospital would participate in the procedure was premature. 'Our contract with the correctional healthcare provider is to support the ongoing medical care of its patients,' Poole continued. 'This request is well outside of that agreement and would also require cooperation with several other entities, all of which have indicated they are unwilling to participate.' A spokesperson for the state Department of Correction referred a request for comment to the attorney general's office, which did not immediately respond. Kelley Henry, an attorney for Black, said, 'TDOC has mishandled this situation from the beginning. My hope is that the Governor will issue a reprieve to avoid a gruesome spectacle.' Black's final appeals for a reprieve are pending in state and federal courts, and through a clemency request with GOP Gov. Bill Lee. They also include an intellectual disability claim. The state has since sought to overturn the order to deactivate Black's implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, including when and where to do it. The state Supreme Court is considering the request. The state has said the lower-court judge lacked authority to order the device disabled. The state also says the order to transport Black to the hospital the morning of the execution presents a 'very real risk of danger to TDOC personnel, hospital patients/staff, the public, and even Black,' mentioning protesters. It's about 7 miles (11 kilometers) from Riverbend Maximum Security Institution to Nashville General Hospital. Henry, Black's attorney, said the state presented 'zero evidence of security risk,' including from the frail, 69-year-old Black or the pacifists who protest executions by prayer. Henry also said state officials had not really tried to find a doctor willing to come to the prison. Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya, 9, and Lakeisha, 6. Prosecutors said he was in a jealous rage when he shot the three at their home. At the time, Black was on work-release while serving time for shooting and wounding Clay's estranged husband. Black's motion related to his heart device came within a general challenge he and other death row inmates filed against the state's new execution protocol. The trial isn't until 2026. The heart device issue also has been a reminder that most medical professionals consider participation in executions a violation of medical ethics. Dan Mann, a talent booking agent and death penalty opponent who has visited Tennessee's death row for years, wrote a letter to Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell and metro councilmembers calling for a resolution against the city's hospital participating in pre-execution procedure. The hospital is governed by a metro Nashville authority, with board members picked by the mayor.
Hamilton Spectator
30-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Hospital says it never agreed to deactivate inmate's heart device before execution
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee hospital says it never agreed to a request by state officials who face a court order to turn off a death row inmate's heart-regulating implant before his execution next week. After a Nashville judge ordered the deactivation of Byron Black's device, a Tennessee Department of Correction official said in a court declaration that Nashville General Hospital told her they could disable it the day before his Aug. 5 execution at 10 a.m., but wouldn't come to the prison on execution day, as the judge had ordered. The judge ultimately allowed some leniency, saying Black could be moved to the hospital the morning of the execution. But on Wednesday, Nashville General Hospital spokesperson Cathy Poole said the medical center did not agree to participate at all, saying the hospital 'has no role in State executions.' The statement adds a significant complication to the court case, which relied on the state's comment about Nashville General's expected involvement. The order is under appeal, as the days dwindle before the execution. Black's attorneys say his heart device would continuously shock him in an attempt to restore his heart's normal rhythm due to the lethal injection of pentobarbital, but the state disputes that and argues that even if shocks were triggered, that Black wouldn't feel them. WPLN-FM first reported on the statement from the hospital, which said, 'Earlier reports of Nashville General Hospital's involvement are inaccurate.' 'The correctional healthcare provider contracted by the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), did not contact appropriate Nashville General Hospital leadership with its request to deactivate the implanted defibrillator,' Poole said. 'Any assertion the hospital would participate in the procedure was premature. 'Our contract with the correctional healthcare provider is to support the ongoing medical care of its patients,' Poole continued. 'This request is well outside of that agreement and would also require cooperation with several other entities, all of which have indicated they are unwilling to participate.' A spokesperson for the state Department of Correction referred a request for comment to the attorney general's office, which did not immediately respond. Kelley Henry, an attorney for Black, said, 'TDOC has mishandled this situation from the beginning. My hope is that the Governor will issue a reprieve to avoid a gruesome spectacle.' Black's final appeals for a reprieve are pending in state and federal courts, and through a clemency request with GOP Gov. Bill Lee. They also include an intellectual disability claim . The state has since sought to overturn the order to deactivate Black's implantable cardioverter-defibrillator , including when and where to do it. The state Supreme Court is considering the request. The state has said the lower-court judge lacked authority to order the device disabled. The state also says the order to transport Black to the hospital the morning of the execution presents a 'very real risk of danger to TDOC personnel, hospital patients/staff, the public, and even Black,' mentioning protesters. It's about 7 miles (11 kilometers) from Riverbend Maximum Security Institution to Nashville General Hospital. Henry, Black's attorney, said the state presented 'zero evidence of security risk,' including from the frail, 69-year-old Black or the pacifists who protest executions by prayer. Henry also said state officials had not really tried to find a doctor willing to come to the prison. Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya, 9, and Lakeisha, 6. Prosecutors said he was in a jealous rage when he shot the three at their home. At the time, Black was on work-release while serving time for shooting and wounding Clay's estranged husband. Black's motion related to his heart device came within a general challenge he and other death row inmates filed against the state's new execution protocol . The trial isn't until 2026. The heart device issue also has been a reminder that most medical professionals consider participation in executions a violation of medical ethics. Dan Mann, a talent booking agent and death penalty opponent who has visited Tennessee's death row for years, wrote a letter to Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell and metro councilmembers calling for a resolution against the city's hospital participating in pre-execution procedure. The hospital is governed by a metro Nashville authority, with board members picked by the mayor. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
