Tennessee Supreme Court schedules four executions for 2026

The Tennessee Supreme Court has scheduled four more executions, even as questions linger about a lethal injection in August.

The executions are scheduled throughout 2026. The first, Tony Carruthers, is set for May 21. The executions of Anthony Hines, Christa Pike and Gary Wayne Sutton would follow.

If the state carries out Christa Pike’s death sentence, she will be the first woman to be put to death in Tennessee in more than 200 years, according to The Tennessean.

Gary Wayne Sutton has maintained his innocence since his conviction, and his attorney Randy Spivy issued a statement reiterating that position:

“The scientific evidence linking Gary to the case is from disgraced state medical examiner Charles Harlan, who was later stripped of his license,” the statement reads. “There is no motive for the crime and no direct evidence linking Gary to the murder of his friend Tommy Griffin.”

Attorneys for both Pike and Sutton have argued their clients were mentally ill and not competent to be executed.

Recent Tennessee executions

This announcement follows the lethal injection death of Byron Black, who showed signs of physical distress and said he was in pain as he died.

The cause of that pain is still a mystery, even after his autopsy report was released. His attorney Kelley Henry says some of that is because the state isn’t cooperating with the legal team’s investigation.

“So many questions about why the execution of Byron Black was botched remain,” the statement reads. “Our public records requests have gone unanswered and important documents are still shrouded in secrecy.”

Leading up to his execution, there were concerns that Black would be in pain — either because of a defibrillator implant or because of the lethal injection drugs themselves. The caustic substance can cause tissue damage — especially in the lungs, which creates a painful, drowning sensation.

An ivestigation after Black’s autopsy revealed his heart implant didn’t shock him. But that leaves concerns about the drugs. It could have been mis-administered; his attorneys reported the IV team had trouble finding a vein. Lethal injection drugs can “fall out of solution.” That’s like when a salad dressing or sauce splits, and some of the substance becomes solid. That has been found to create the sensation of rocks in the veins.

The new execution dates add to the gravity of Black’s painful death.

“We will continue to fight to bring the truth of what happened to light before these executions move forward to protect our clients from being tortured the way Byron was,” Henry’s statement reads.