A man who was recently executed via lethal injection cried out in pain because something seemed to have gone wrong.
However, a lot of people are not too happy about the situation and it might not be for the reason you expect.
Keep reading to know more.
Byron Black was executed by lethal injection after almost four decades after he shot his girlfriend and her two children. The event was later debated in court about whether the inmate’s defibrillator should have been turned off so his suffering was not prolonged.
“I can’t say I’m sorry because we never got an apology,” said the family of his late girlfriend, who he had murdered.
In 1988, Byron was convicted for shooting his 29-year-old Angela Clay, during what prosecutors called a ‘jealous rage.’
He also shot her daughters, 9-year-old Latoya Clay and 6-year-old Lakeisha Clay.
Angela’s family later told Nashville police that Byron had threatened harm towards her when she had told she was thinking about ending the relationship.
When he murdered them, he was on work-release while serving time for shooting Angela’s estranged husband, Bennie Clay.
Investigation later revealed that the daughters were shot while they were sleeping. The younger one, Lakeisha, tried to escape but did not manage to do so.
Estranged husband Bennie said of the incident that Byron shot his daughters out of spite.
“My kids, they were babies,” he later said. “They were smart, they were gonna be something. They never got the chance.”
Decades after he shot the mother and two children, he became the second man to be executed in Tennessee since May and the 28th person to be executed in the country this year.
When he was asked about whether he had any last words, he said, “No sir.” He was fitted with an IV line in his arm and his arms and chest were restrained.
During the administration of the lethal injection, he raised his head off his gurney several times while he breathed heavily.
“Oh, it’s hurting so bad,” he said.
A spiritual leader was sitting beside him, singing and praying.
“I’m so sorry. Just listen to my voice,” the advisor said to him.
Byron was pronounced deceased at 10:43. His lawyers argued before the procedure to deactivate his defibrillator to help make the death potentially less intense.
They claimed the defibrillator which detects and corrects irregular heartbeat would repeatedly shock his heart to bring it back into regular rhythm. The argument was that this would violate his Eighth Amendment rights against crueld and unusual punishment.
A trial judge agreed with his attorneys. However, the Supreme Court in the state overturned the decison saying the judge from the trial court did not have the authority to overturn this decison. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also said that he was unwilling to show any leniency to Byron.
Byron’s lawyer argued that their client was ‘tortured.’ Kelley Henry, “I interpret that my client was tortured today,” they said.
The attorney said, “a gentle, kind, fragile, intellectually disabled man in a violation of the laws of our country simply because they could.”
They had also previously argued that Byron should be spared from the lethal injection because of his intellectual disability.
Byron was suffering from dementia and was wheelchair-bound, he also had brain damage and kidney failure other than his congestive heart failure.
Linette Bell, Angela’s sister made a statement after he was executed. She said, “I thank God for making this happen. His family is going through the same thing now that we went through 37 years ago.”
“I can’t say I’m sorry, because we never got an apology. He never apologized, and he never admitted it,” she went on.
Bennie, the agrieved father of the two girls, said he forgave Byron before he was executed.
“God has a plan for everything,” he said. “He had a plan when he took my girls. He needed them more than I did, I guess.”
A lot of people online however thought him experiencing pain was valid.
“Finally felt just a little of what he put others through,” one person wrote.
Another added, “He deserves what he gets. The victims family needs closure.”
“Did he care how his victims felt?” another demanded.
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