Byron Black was executed in Tennessee despite concerns that his implanted defibrillator could cause undue suffering by shocking his heart back to life. His lawyers attempted to halt the execution, arguing it violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The US Supreme Court and Tennessee's governor allowed the execution to proceed. Witnesses reported Black expressing pain during the process. His execution was the 28th US court-ordered execution of the year and the second in Tennessee since a moratorium ended after five years.
Black's lawyers raised concerns that his heart implant could attempt to shock him back to life, leading to undue suffering during the execution.
Despite worries about the defibrillator possibly prolonging his death by shocking his heart, the state of Tennessee executed Byron Black.
Black's execution occurred after his lawyers' last-minute efforts failed to convince the court to disable the defibrillator prior to lethal injection.
Witnesses reported that Black was alive and looking around just before the execution began, expressing that he was in pain.
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