Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) delayed the execution of Tony Carruthers by one year after the inmate experienced a “botched” execution on Thursday. Executioners failed to find a vein to insert the mandatory backup IV line per Tennessee‘s lethal injection protocol.

Death row inmate Tony Carruthers was in pain as the executioners tried to find a vein and there was "lots of blood," one of his attorneys said.

The last-minute reprieve in Tony Carruthers’ scheduled execution on May 21 is yet another reminder of a longer history in Tennessee. Carruthers' executioners were unable to find a vein to insert a needle and deliver a fatal dose of the drug pentobarbital.

Attorneys for a Tennessee death row inmate say they are concerned the state may be planning to use expired lethal injection drugs at his execution on Thursday, a growing concern across the country as states work to keep most information about their drugs secret.

Full coverage of the death penalty and capital punishment in the United States and breaking news about prison inmate executions and lethal injection protocols.

The state of Florida on Thursday carried out the execution of Richard Knight for the 2000 murders of a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old daughter.

Defense attorneys allege the state has used expired or incorrect drugs and improper dosages during lethal injections. Appeals have also challenged a policy allowing executioners to cut into an inmate to find a vein without requiring anesthesia.

A fierce legal battle is unfolding before the Florida Supreme Court over whether to halt the upcoming execution of death row inmate Andrew Richard Lukehart. Lukehart is scheduled to die by lethal injection on June 2,