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Hines’ attorneys cite troubled execution history under Tenn. corrections chief

Riverbend Maximum Security Institution has been the site of 10 executions since 2018, including three last year.
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With Darrell Hines scheduled to be executed on Aug. 13, his attorneys released documents Thursday highlighting the troubled history of executions overseen by Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner, and previous Arizona prison official, Frank Strada.

They highlighted three executions during Strada’s tenure in Arizona that were “marked by prolonged and problematic attempts to establish IV access — eerily similar to the botched attempted execution of Tony Carruthers in Tennessee” and pointed to a 2024 review of Arizona’s death penalty that uncovered various issues.

The defense team says Strada brought those sorts of issues with him to Tennessee, where he oversaw the 2025 adoption of the lethal injection protocol at the center of controversy now.

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