Latest news with #defibrillator
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Triple murderer, 69, with defibrillator implant executed with injection as he groaned ‘it hurts so bad' in 10 min ordeal
A TRIPLE murderer has become the first killer to be executed with a defibrillator implant in his chest. Byron Black, 69, groaned it was "hurting so bad" as he was given the lethal injection in Tennessee after a failed last-ditch bid to halt his execution. 6 6 6 Officials had refused to deactivate his implanted defibrillator despite fears it might continually try to restart his heart. Black's lawyer Kelley Henry had warned the execution could become a "grotesque spectacle" and he could still be in pain even if he looked unresponsive. Black died at 10.43am on Tuesday - about 10 minutes after he was given the injection. Asked for any last words, he replied, "No sir." But witnesses said he appeared to be in discomfort - sighing and breathing heavily and talking about being in pain. Black looked around the room as the execution started - lifting his head off the gurney multiple times, and could be heard sighing and breathing heavily. Throughout the execution, a spiritual adviser prayed and sang over Black - at one point touching his face. As he lay with his hands and chest restrained with an IV line in his arm, he said: "Oh, it's hurting so bad." The spiritual adviser responded: "I'm so sorry. Just listen to my voice." Black was jailed after he shot dead his girlfriend Angela Clay and her two daughters, aged six and nine, in 1988. He killed the trio while he was on work release from serving time for shooting Clay's estranged husband. Linette Bell, whose sister and two nieces were killed, told local station WKRN-TV: "He didn't have mercy on them, so why should we have mercy on him?" She added: "His family is now going through the same thing we went through 37 years ago. "I can't say I'm sorry because we never got an apology." Black was executed after a back-and-forth over whether officials would need to turn off his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD. It was a battery-powered device designed to deliver electric shocks to restore a regular heartbeat if needed. Black was in a wheelchair, suffering from dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, congestive heart failure and other conditions. 6 6 6 His lawyers said that a doctor should put a device over the implant to ensure it was switched off. In July, a judge agreed it was necessary - but the state Supreme Court then said the judge lacked authority to order the defibrillator to be deactivated. Black's lawyer said the execution was shameful. Henry said: "Today, the state of Tennessee killed a gentle, kind, fragile, intellectually disabled man in a violation of the laws of our country simply because they could." The lawyer added that they will review data kept by the heart device as part of an autopsy. Prison officials have not commented on claims that Black appeared conscious or his complaints of pain. It marked Tennessee's second execution since May after a pause for five years - first because of the pandemic and then because of missteps by state corrections officials. Twenty-eight men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in America - and nine other people are scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. The number of executions this year exceeds the 25 carried out last year and in 2018. It is the highest total since 2015, when 28 people were put to death. What did Black's lawyers say about his defibrillator? BYRON Black had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator - a small, battery-powered electronic device that is surgically implanted in the chest. It served as a pacemaker and an emergency defibrillator. Black's attorneys said a doctor can send it a deactivation command without surgery. The legal case also spurred a reminder that most medical professionals consider participation in executions a violation of health care ethics. In recent years, Black's legal team has unsuccessfully tried to get a new hearing about an intellectual disability they say he's exhibited since childhood. People with intellectual disabilities are constitutionally barred from execution. His attorneys said that if they had delayed a prior attempt to seek his intellectual disability claim, he would have been spared under a 2021 state law. That is because the 2021 law denies a hearing to people on death row who have already filed a similar request and a court has ruled on it "on the merits". A judge denied Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk's attempt to get Black a new hearing. Funk focused on input from an expert for the state in 2004 who determined back then that Black didnt meet the criteria for what was then called "mental retardation. But she concluded that Black met the new laws criteria for a diagnosis of intellectual disability.
Sky News
5 days ago
- Sky News
Byron Black becomes first man executed with working defibrillator fitted - despite claims he could suffer
A triple-killer has become the first man to be executed with a working defibrillator implanted in his chest Byron Black, 69, was put to death in Tennessee without the defibrillator being deactivated. There were concerns the device would shock his heart when the lethal chemicals took effect. A bid to delay the execution was denied on Monday. The Death Penalty Information Center, which provides data on such matters, said it was unaware of any similar cases. Black's attorneys said they had not found a comparable case either. Black shot dead his girlfriend Angela Clay and her two daughters, aged six and nine, in a jealous rage in 1988. He committed the murders while on work release while serving time for shooting Clay's estranged husband. Linette Bell, whose sister and two nieces were killed, recently told local station WKRN-TV: "He didn't have mercy on them, so why should we have mercy on him?" There was uncertainty over whether the defibrillator would shock his heart, potentially prolonging his death and causing suffering. The 69-year-old was in a wheelchair and said to have dementia, kidney failure, brain damage and congestive heart failure. His cardioverter-defibrillator was a battery-powered device that delivered electric shocks to restore a regular heartbeat if needed. Black's lawyers said a doctor should have put a device over the implant to ensure it was switched off. In July, a judge agreed it was necessary to avert the chance of unnecessary pain. Last week, however, the state Supreme Court said the judge lacked authority to order the defibrillator to be deactivated. Lawyers representing Tennessee argued the lethal injection would not cause the device to shock Black and that he would not feel it even if it did. However his lawyer, Kelley Henry, said the execution could become a "grotesque spectacle" and Black could still be in pain even if he looked unresponsive. Black's lawyers also tried unsuccessfully in recent years to save him from execution by arguing he was intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty under US Supreme Court precedent. Twenty-eight men have been executed in the US so far this year - the highest since the 28 also killed in 2015.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Byron Black to be first man executed with working defibrillator fitted - despite claims he could suffer
A triple-killer is set to be the first man executed with a working defibrillator in his chest when he's put to death in Tennessee today. Byron Black's bid to delay the execution was denied on Monday, and he will now be killed by lethal injection. There is uncertainty over whether the device will shock his heart, potentially prolonging his death and causing suffering when the deadly cocktail takes effect. The 69-year-old is in a wheelchair and is said to have dementia, kidney failure, brain damage and congestive heart failure. His cardioverter-defibrillator is a battery-powered device that delivers electric shocks to restore a regular heartbeat if needed. Black's lawyers said a doctor should put a device over the implant to ensure it's switched off, and in July, a judge agreed it was necessary to avert the chance of unnecessary pain. But the state Supreme Court said last week the judge lacked authority to order the defibrillator to be deactivated. Lawyers representing have argued that the lethal injection will not cause the device to shock Black and that he would not feel it even if it did. However, his lawyer, Kelley Henry, said the execution could become a "grotesque spectacle" and Black could still be in pain even if he looks unresponsive. Black shot dead his girlfriend Angela Clay and her two daughters - aged six and nine - in a jealous rage in 1988. He committed the murders while on work release for shooting Clay's estranged husband. Linette Bell, whose sister and two nieces were killed, recently told local station WKRN-TV: "He didn't have mercy on them, so why should we have mercy on him?" Read more: Black's lawyers have also unsuccessfully tried in recent years to save him from execution by arguing he's intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty under US Supreme Court precedent. Twenty-seven men have been executed in the US so far this year - the highest since the 28 killed in 2015. However, nine others are scheduled before the end of 2025.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Tennessee readies for execution of man with working implanted defibrillator
This undated booking photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Corrections shows Byron Black. (Tennessee Department of Corrections via AP, File) NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is gearing up for an execution on Tuesday that experts say would likely mark the first time a man has been put to death with a working defibrillator in his chest. Gov. Bill Lee declined Monday to grant a reprieve, clearing the way for Byron Black's execution after a legal battle and ongoing uncertainty about whether the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator will shock his heart when the lethal drug takes effect. The nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center said it's unaware of any other cases in which a person on death row made similar claims to Black's about defibrillators or pacemakers. Black's attorneys said they haven't found a comparable case, either. Lee said the courts have 'universally determined that it is lawful to carry out the jury's sentence of execution given to Mr. Black for the heinous murders of Angela Clay and her daughters Lakeisha, age 6, and Latoya, age 9.' The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Black's appeals. 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 state corrections officials. Twenty-seven men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and nine other people are scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. The number of executions this year exceeds the 25 carried out last year and in 2018. It is the highest total since 2015, when 28 people were put to death. Black's condition Black, 69, is in a wheelchair, and he has dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, congestive heart failure and other conditions, his attorneys have said. The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator he has is a small, battery-powered electronic device that is surgically implanted in the chest. It serves as a pacemaker and an emergency defibrillator. Black's attorneys say in order to be sure it's off, a doctor must place a programming device over the implant site, sending it a deactivation command, with no surgery required. In mid-July, a trial court judge agreed with Black's attorneys that officials must have his device deactivated to avert the risk that it could cause unnecessary pain and prolong the execution. But the state Supreme Court intervened July 31 to overturn that decision, saying the other judge lacked the authority to order the change. The state has disputed that the lethal injection would cause Black's defibrillator to shock him. Even if shocks were triggered, Black wouldn't feel them, the state said. Black's attorneys have countered that even if the lethal drug being used, pentobarbital, renders someone unresponsive, they aren't necessarily unaware or unable to feel pain. Kelley Henry, Black's attorney, said the execution could become a 'grotesque spectacle.' The legal case also spurred a reminder that most medical professionals consider participation in executions a violation of health care ethics. Black's case Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters. 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 Clay's estranged husband. Linette Bell, whose sister and two nieces were killed, recently told WKRN-TV: 'He didn't have mercy on them, so why should we have mercy on him?' Intellectual disability claim In recent years, Black's legal team has unsuccessfully tried to get a new hearing over whether he is intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty under U.S. Supreme Court precedent. His attorneys have said that if they had delayed a prior attempt to seek his intellectual disability claim, he would have been spared under a 2021 state law. Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk contended in 2022 that Black is intellectually disabled and deserved a hearing under that 2021 law, but the judge denied it. That is because the 2021 law denies a hearing to people on death row who have already filed a similar request and a court has ruled on it 'on the merits.' In Funk's attempt, he focused on input from an expert for the state in 2004 who determined back then that Black didn't meet the criteria for what was then called 'mental retardation.' But she concluded that Black met the new law's criteria for a diagnosis of intellectual disability. Black also sought a determination by the courts that he is incompetent to be executed. Jonathan Mattise, The Associated Press
Sky News
5 days ago
- Sky News
Byron Black to be first man executed with working defibrillator fitted - despite claims he could suffer
A triple-killer is set to be the first man executed with a working defibrillator in his chest when he's put to death in Tennessee today. Byron Black's bid to delay the execution was denied on Monday, and he will now be killed by lethal injection. There is uncertainty over whether the device will shock his heart, potentially prolonging his death and causing suffering when the deadly cocktail takes effect. The 69-year-old is in a wheelchair and is said to have dementia, kidney failure, brain damage and congestive heart failure. His cardioverter-defibrillator is a battery-powered device that delivers electric shocks to restore a regular heartbeat if needed. Black's lawyers said a doctor should put a device over the implant to ensure it's switched off, and in July, a judge agreed it was necessary to avert the chance of unnecessary pain. But the state Supreme Court said last week the judge lacked authority to order the defibrillator to be deactivated. Lawyers representing Tennessee have argued that the lethal injection will not cause the device to shock Black and that he would not feel it even if it did. However, his lawyer, Kelley Henry, said the execution could become a "grotesque spectacle" and Black could still be in pain even if he looks unresponsive. Black shot dead his girlfriend Angela Clay and her two daughters - aged six and nine - in a jealous rage in 1988. He committed the murders while on work release for shooting Clay's estranged husband. Linette Bell, whose sister and two nieces were killed, recently told local station WKRN-TV: "He didn't have mercy on them, so why should we have mercy on him?" Black's lawyers have also unsuccessfully tried in recent years to save him from execution by arguing he's intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty under US Supreme Court precedent. Twenty-seven men have been executed in the US so far this year - the highest since the 28 killed in 2015. However, nine others are scheduled before the end of 2025.
