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Tony Carruthers could be innocent – but without your intervention, Tennessee may execute him without considering the full evidence.
Tony was convicted without physical evidence, based on testimony from informants, including one paid by the state who later recanted his statement. For decades, the state denied that this informant was paid, and actively prevented the jury from knowing the full truth. Tony was forced to represent himself in court despite extreme mental illness – resulting in a trial riddled with so many mistakes that his co-defendant was granted a new trial. If Tennessee executes Tony, he will be the first person in nearly a century to be executed after being forced to represent himself at trial.
There are several fingerprints and DNA from the scene that don't match Tony, but they were never compared to a suspect identified by his co-defendant. Additional evidence has never been tested. These tests could prove Tony's innocence: This evidence MUST be considered before his scheduled execution on May 21.
Join us in calling for fingerprint and DNA testing before Tony is put to death.
The state of Tennessee is currently planning to execute a potentially innocent man without even considering all of the evidence available. Before the state carries out this irreversible punishment on May 21st, it must answer the most basic question: do they have the right person?
The death penalty is already an inherently anti-constitutional policy – one that is irreversible, inhumane, and rife with racism and wrongful executions. Tony Carruther's scheduled execution encompasses all of those problems.
But Tony's situation is even more dire. His trial was riddled with errors. He was denied legal counsel. There was no physical evidence linked to him. The evidence against him that was presented at trial came from informants who have since recanted their statements or been discredited.
The state of Tennessee must conduct a full investigation into the fingerprint and DNA evidence, including comparing the fingerprints and DNA found at the scene to the suspect identified by Tony's co-defendant. These tests could prove Tony's innocence. Tennessee must not execute Tony Carruthers without comprehensively investigating all of the evidence. We refuse to allow one more preventable wrongful execution.
