USA - Tennessee. Executions delayed 1 year

October 12, 2026 - Tennessee. Executions delayed 1 year

Gov. Bill Lee delays Gary Wayne Sutton’s execution until 2027

Gary Wayne Sutton, who was scheduled to be put to death this year, has been granted a 1-year reprieve from Gov. Bill Lee.

The decision comes more than a week after the state failed to execute Christa Pike, which led Lee to pause all remaining executions that were scheduled to take place in 2026.

Sutton, who was convicted of the murders of Connie Brannum and her brother Tommy Griffin in Blount and Sevier counties in 1992, was scheduled to be put to death on Dec. 3.

Following the reprieve, Sutton’s execution is now delayed until Oct. 7, 2027.

“We are grateful to Governor Lee for granting this reprieve to Gary while the State continues to investigate its execution protocols,” said Johnna Henry with the Tennessee Office of the Post-Conviction Defender. “The State has serious work to do as it tries to understand how its supposedly failsafe and humane execution procedures have failed twice in less than six months, catastrophically and torturously.”

After Pike’s botched execution, Lee ordered an independent review to determine whether the Tennessee Department of Correction followed protocol, as well as to consider if the protocol is “lawful and effective.” Last week, the governor’s office announced former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton would conduct the review.

Sutton’s legal team said the delay will give them more time to “clear his name” and present evidence of his “intellectual disability.”

“For more than 3 decades, Gary has maintained his innocence, an assertion that’s supported by the family and friends who know him best. Beyond that, Gary’s well-documented intellectual disability renders him ineligible for the death penalty by both state and federal law,” Henry added. “We are confident the courts will agree with us and will permanently vacate Gary’s death sentence.”

A decision on whether a court will hear evidence about Sutton’s intellectual disability, which would make him constitutionally ineligible to be put to death, is currently pending with the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Pike’s failed execution attempt came just 4 months after the botched execution of Tony Carruthers, whose family has since filed a medical malpractice lawsuit.