08-08-2025
Heart device didn't shock distressed inmate during execution, lawyer says
A Tennessee prisoner, who complained of pain as witnesses said he showed signs of distress during his execution this week, was not shocked by his implanted heart device as he died, his lawyer said Friday.
Kelley Henry, a federal public defender representing Byron Black, said early data retrieved from his implanted cardiac device (ICD) shows it didn't shock him. But something clearly went wrong during the lethal injection Tuesday, when Black 'lifted his head, groaned, and cried out in pain after the execution began,' Henry said in a statement.
