"Carruthers' case is a perfect storm of capital punishment's familiar failures: paid informants, information withheld from the jury, untested physical evidence, and the defendant's mental illness."
"Most egregiously, Carruthers was forced to be his own lawyer during his trial. If Carruthers is executed, he would be the first person in nearly a century to be executed after being forced to represent himself."
"The use of jailhouse informants is a leading cause of wrongful convictions in capital cases. Northwestern University's Center for Wrongful Convictions says that what it calls the 'Snitch System' accounts for '45.9% of convictions in U.S. capital cases' that result in exonerations."
Tony Carruthers is scheduled for execution in Tennessee, marking the 17th execution in the state in fifty years. His case exemplifies failures in capital punishment, including reliance on paid informants, withheld information, untested evidence, and mental illness. Carruthers was compelled to represent himself during his trial, making his execution particularly unjust. The courts are urged to intervene and grant DNA testing requested by the ACLU. If the courts do not act, Governor Bill Lee should exercise clemency to prevent this miscarriage of justice.
Read at Slate Magazine
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