Sevier County, Tennessee

Gov. Bill Lee has granted death row inmate Gary Wayne Sutton a one-year reprieve, pushing his execution from Dec. 3 to Oct. 7, 2027. Sutton was convicted in the 1992 murders of Connie Brannum and her brother Tommy Griffin in Blount and Sevier counties.

The reprieve follows the botched execution of Christa Pike earlier this month, which prompted Lee to pause all remaining 2026 executions and order an independent review of state execution protocols, to be led by former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton. Pike's failed execution came just four months after the similarly botched execution of Tony Carruthers, whose family has since filed a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Sutton's attorneys say the delay gives them time to present evidence of his intellectual disability, which they argue makes him constitutionally ineligible for the death penalty. The Tennessee Supreme Court is currently weighing whether to hear that evidence. Sutton has long maintained his innocence in the case.