Tennessee gov: No new details yet why he canceled execution

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee declined to provide any new information Friday explaining his decision to call off the state's first scheduled execution since the start of the pandemic, but said more details will likely be provided next week.

The night before, the Republican governor had issued a statement saying there had been an “oversight in preparation for lethal injection” as he granted a temporary reprieve to 72-year-old inmate Oscar Smith. An attorney for Smith, Amy Harwell, later told reporters that her office had been told there had been a “mishandling” of the drugs.

“I granted a temporary reprieve because of a technical oversight," Lee told reporters on Friday. "I have high expectations for our departments, and the death penalty is a serious matter that requires attention to detail. We are digging into this, and I expect we will have more to report next week.”

Smith was convicted of the 1989 killings of his estranged wife and her two teenage sons. Shortly before the governor intervened, the U.S. Supreme Court had denied a last-hour bid by Smith’s attorneys for a stay.

The inmate had been scheduled to receive a three-drug injection at a Nashville maximum security prison and was preparing for his final moments with his spiritual advisor when he received the news, according to Harwell.

He had already had what was to be his last meal and was finishing communion before he was to be escorted to the death chamber.

“When the wardens walked in, the spiritual adviser very graciously said, ‘I have consecrated more communion, would you guys like to join us?’ And the warden said, ‘No, I need to give Oscar some news. There’s not going to be an execution tonight,'” Harwell told The Associated Press.

Smith slumped with relief, Harwell recalled, and both he...