Judge orders Tennessee to turn off inmate’s heart-regulating implanted device at execution

A Tennessee judge ordered officials to deactivate Byron Black’s implanted heart device before his scheduled execution on August 5 to prevent it from delivering painful shocks during the lethal injection. Black’s lawyers argued the device, which regulates his heartbeat, could cause multiple shocks and severe pain after the pentobarbital dose. The state contested the need to disable the device, saying the drug would keep him unconscious and the order could delay the execution, which the judge denied. The device’s deactivation requires a medical professional and is expected to face quick appeals, the Associated Press has reported. Black was convicted of a triple murder in 1988 and has had previous execution delays due to legal and procedural issues.