Convicted child killer Byron Black died by lethal injection in August, but his execution raised concerns about Tennessee’s death penalty policies. His lawyer claims that two minutes after he was pronounced dead, the man showed signs of “sustained cardiac activity,” sparking questions about what went wrong during the execution.
According to court proceedings, there were fears before the execution that Black would be administered a device implanted in his chest with defibrillator-like function. This raised concerns that it could have shocked his heart when the lethal chemicals took effect. During the execution, witnesses reported that Black appeared uncomfortable and breathed heavily. An electrocardiogram monitoring his heart recorded cardiac activity after he was pronounced dead.
Black’s lawyer, Kelley Henry, is leading a group of federal public defenders representing death row inmates in Tennessee. She claims that only those who were present at the execution would be able to answer questions about what went wrong. The case will be heard in April for a full trial.
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/child-killer-executed-in-tennessee-showed-signs-of-life-two-minutes-after-his-death-13456751