Tennessee man's heart still active nearly two minutes after execution, lawyer says

[riversedge]

Source: the guardian



Allegation raises further questions about death of Byron Black in execution lawyer
says was ‘100% botched’

Sam Levin Fri 24 Oct 2025 17.52 EDT


A man executed on Tennessee death row showed signs of “sustained cardiac activity” for nearly two minutes after he was pronounced dead, his attorney said in court on Friday.

The allegation raises further questions about how the death of Byron Black unfolded and will increase scrutiny on capital punishment in Tennessee.

Black was killed by lethal injection in August in an execution that his lawyer, Kelley Henry, at the time said was “100% botched”. Witnesses said that following the lethal injection, Black started breathing and sighing loudly, and after several minutes groaned in agony, saying, “I can’t do this” and “It hurts so bad”. He repeatedly lifted his head. He was pronounced dead roughly 10 minutes after he had cried out in pain...............

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On 5 August, Black, 69, was injected with the sedative pentobarbital, which was supposed to render him unconscious as it stopped his breathing and killed him. The state had argued Black would not consciously experience drawn-out pain. But Henry and a group of media witnesses in the execution chamber reported he was visibly in distress. She also said staff had struggled for roughly 10 minutes to find a vein in one of his arms and blood had oozed from the injection site...........................................................










Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/24/tennessee-execution-byron-black-cardiac-activity?CMP=share_btn_url

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[2MuchNoise]

1. Horrific.

[hlthe2b]

2. There are officially adopted protocols (by species) for veterinarians--all which include major doses of

analgesic medications (often narcotics) and sedatives PRIOR to any administration of pentobarbitol-type meds.

These protocols are designed to be QUICKLY effective, but overall to prevent pain, struggling, or distress.

The bottom line is these executioners DON'T WANT what we do for our non-human animals. Suffering is the point.

That said, I'd bet money that the catheter was not properly placed in the vein and thus most of the meds went into the tissues. No qualified physician (typically an anesthesiologist) is going to agree to establish their drug protocol for obvious reasons so they apparently just have some half-assed self-described "expert" do so and this is what you get.

I am so sorry for this man. No matter what he did, we should not be in the business of torture.

[orangecrush]

3. Only in America

[FakeNoose]

4. This is sickening

How can anyone deserve this? What a horrible, awful way to go.....

[Bayard]

5. With all the severe illnesses that he had,

They could have probably waited a few months and he'd have died on his own.

I think the point is obvious.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. Trump, Miller, Hegseth, and Noem applaud the drawn-out pain.

They hope to learn, for federal executions.

[Orrex]

7. Along with most reichwingers

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. Yes, "A quick, painless death is too good for that (insert insult here)"