Byron Black, 69, cried out during his lethal injection Tuesday as Tennessee officials proceeded with his execution despite warnings about his implanted heart device potentially causing additional suffering.

According to the Daily Mail, Black was executed for the 1988 murders of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two young daughters, Latoya, 9, and Lakeisha, 6. The execution took place at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Nashville after courts rejected attempts to have his implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) deactivated before the procedure.

Just two minutes after the execution began, Black reportedly started breathing heavily, lifting his head multiple times from the gurney before telling his spiritual advisor, "It's hurting so bad." His advisor, Rev. Monica Coakley, attempted to comfort him by singing as the execution continued.

Controversial Medical Concerns Dismissed by Courts

Black's attorneys had fought to have his defibrillator disabled prior to the execution, arguing it could cause him additional suffering during the lethal injection process.

Kelly Henry, Black's longtime attorney, had warned in court that the defibrillator would likely shock his heart repeatedly during the execution if not properly deactivated. While the Davidson County Chancery Court initially ruled in Black's favor, Tennessee's Supreme Court overturned that decision, stating the lower court lacked authority to order the change.

State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti disputed claims that Black would suffer severe pain, vowing to proceed with the execution. Both Governor Bill Lee and the United States Supreme Court declined to intervene, allowing the execution to move forward despite the medical concerns.

Intellectual Disability Claims Rejected

Black's legal team had also unsuccessfully fought for a new hearing regarding his intellectual disability. His attorneys argued that Black had exhibited an intellectual disability since childhood, with an IQ below 70, which would make him ineligible for the death penalty under current standards. In 2022, Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk even asked a judge to vacate Black's death sentence based on these concerns.

However, courts denied the appeal, ruling that Tennessee's current intellectual disability law does not apply to those whose competence was adjudicated previously. Black's mental capacity was first addressed before his 1989 trial, and the courts determined that previous assessment was binding.

Family Reactions to the Execution

The execution brought different reactions from those connected to the case, highlighting the deep emotional divides such proceedings create.

"I thank God for making this happen," said Linette Bell, Angela Clay's sister, in a statement read by a victim's advocate after the execution. "His family is now going through the same thing we went through 37 years ago. I can't say I'm sorry because we never got an apology. He never apologized and he never admitted it."

In stark contrast, Black's attorney Kelly Henry claimed the state "killed a gentle, kind, fragile, intellectually disabled man in a violation of the laws of our country simply because they could." She described the execution as torture and said her client left the world "with words of grace, mercy and love."

Final Moments and Procedural Concerns

Black's final hours included participation in a church service and a last meal of pizza, doughnuts, and butter pecan ice cream. By the time of his death on Tuesday, Black was wheelchair-bound and suffering from multiple health conditions, including dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, and congestive heart failure. Henry described difficulty finding his veins during the execution process, leading to "a puddle of blood on his right side."

The attorney said she was particularly concerned about Black's ability to raise his head and express pain during the procedure, as the massive dose of pentobarbital used in executions is supposed to quickly render inmates unconscious. "The fact that he was able to raise his head several times and express pain tells you that the pentobarbital was not acting the way the state's experts claim it acts," Henry argued.