Nashville, Tennessee (AP) — Tennessee set three new execution dates in 2022 last week, increasing the total number of executions planned for this year to five.
The state has temporarily suspended executions during the pandemic, but is currently planning to execute it once every other month starting in April.
The new date includes the August 18 execution of Byron Black, 65, who claimed in court’s petition that he should not be executed because of his intellectual disability. The hearing on the allegations of persons with disabilities scheduled for February 16 has been postponed.
Black was convicted in Davidson County in April 1988 for murdering his girlfriend Angela Clay (29) and his daughters Ratya (9) and Lakesha (6) at home. At the time of his murder, Black was in a work release while shooting and killing Clay’s estranged husband and providing time to injure her.
The Tennessee Supreme Court has set the execution date for 59-year-old Donald Middlebrooks on December 8. He argued that he should not be sentenced to death because of his serious mental illness. The court has set an October deadline for Middlebrooks to challenge his ability to execute.
Middlebrooks was convicted of torture and murder of a 14-year-old boy in Nashville in 1987. The other two who participated in the murder were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The third execution date set was Gary Sutton (52 years old) on October 6th. Defendant was previously convicted of murdering Griffin’s sister Connie Branum in 1993. Her body was found in her burned car. Derringer has filed an objection in court that is still pending in his proceedings.
The State Supreme Court has set execution dates for Oscar Smith, 71, and Harold Nichols, 61, earlier this year.
Two prisoners were taken from the death row cell during the suspension of the execution pandemic. Pervis Payne, 54, succeeded in showing the court that he was mentally retarded. He was outraged in January and is eligible for parole about five years later.
Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman, 71, resented in November after a judge discovered that his trial was contaminated by racism during jury selection. He was indignant at three life imprisonments.