Execution After Decades

Byron Black, a Tennessee man convicted of a 1988 triple murder,

was executed by lethal injection nearly forty years later.

His case drew attention after witnesses reported visible distress during the procedure.

Legal and Medical Concerns

Black’s defense argued his implanted defibrillator should have been deactivated to prevent suffering.

His attorney later described the execution as “torture,” citing dementia, kidney failure, and brain damage.

Courts rejected appeals based on intellectual disability, and Governor Bill Lee declined clemency.

The Crimes

Black killed his girlfriend, Angela Clay, and her two daughters while on work release for another shooting.

Prosecutors called it a jealous act.

He showed no remorse, leaving lasting pain for the victims’ families.

Family and Public Response

Angela’s sister said the execution brought closure, while the girls’ father offered forgiveness through faith.

Public reaction was divided—some expressed sympathy, others saw the punishment as justified.