NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Attorneys for death row inmate Byron Black are asking the Supreme Court to step in as questions loom about his intellectual ability.
Black is scheduled to die next Tuesday for murdering his ex-girlfriend and her two children in the 1980s.
Tuesday, Black's legal team filed a request for the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision made by a lower court and sent an application for stay of execution asking the United States Supreme Court to prevent his execution. His lawyers argue Tennessee will violate the Eighth Amendment and the Due Process Clause by killing him.
This request comes less than a week since Tennessee's Department of Correction appealed a judge's decision to turn off the death row inmate's heart implant before his execution. They asked the Supreme Court to overturn the decision.
The Tennessee Supreme Court is weighing appeal. Black's execution is still set for August 5th. This is a developing story, so we'll make sure to keep you updated.
This is a story I immediately went home and showed my boys - young athletes with big dreams. The Vanderbilt football team's success has stolen the spotlight - what I love about Steve Layman's story is he reveals the individual hardships it took to get there. As Clark Lea says, "we all have scuff marks." This team proves perseverance pays off!
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