Tennessee Plans Another Execution Despite Its Brutal Recent Mistakes

Samson Childs honored his late father's memory by having dinner with his godfather on the one-year anniversary of Black's death. Black, convicted in 1989 for killing his girlfriend and her two daughters, remained on death row for over three decades. Despite his severe health issues, including dementia and heart failure, Black was eventually executed with a single drug pentobarbital in August 2025.

Childs, at home after a sleepless night, only learned of the botched procedure through a news report. The incident resurrected debates over capital punishment in Tennessee, where the state had previously moved to a single-drug protocol despite warnings of cruelty. Nine months later, another execution attempt on Tony Carruthers, convicted in 1996 for a triple murder he claimed was not his doing, ended in similar failure.

Prison staff failed to place an IV line correctly, and a physician had to perform a chest procedure on Carruthers, leading to his eventual reprieve. Now, 66-year-old Anthony Darrell Hines faces execution on Thursday, joining a surge in U.S. executions, including 70-year-old Carlos Cuesta Rodriguez in Oklahoma and 41-year-old Jeremy Williams in Alabama.

Childs, now advocating for mercy, joined a protest to show solidarity with those opposing the death penalty.