Tennessee has scheduled Tony Carruthers for execution on May 21, 2026, for the 1994 murders of Marcellos Anderson, Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker.
The following has been shared by the US Campaign to End the Death Penalty and Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:
Tennessee intends to move forward with Tony’s execution despite the fact that the State refuses to carry out basic forensic testing(fingerprint and DNA) that could exculpate him.
- No physical evidence linking Tony to the crime
- Convictions rest on the testimony of paid jailhouse informants
- Fingerprints and DNA from the crime scene don’t match Tony
- One of the individuals who participated in the murder said that Tony wasn’t involved, and instead directed law enforcement to Ronnie Irving — State refuses to test DNA and fingerprints against Ronnie.
- Tony lives with severe mental illness and was forced to represent himself at trial
It is unconscionable that the State would force Tony to represent himself at trial and allow this execution to proceed, given all that is known about the case.
Call Gov. Lee at 615-741-2001 with the following message:
“Hi. My name is [your name]. I am calling to urge Gov. Lee to reverse course and halt all plans to execute Tony Carruthers on May 21, 2026. There are several deeply concerning elements to this case, including the fact that an individual who participated in the murders said Tony was not involved. This individual pointed investigators to Ronnie Irving — yet they refuse to test the DNA and fingerprints against Ronnie Irving. As one who purports to follow Christian teachings, it is deeply disappointing that he does not extend these teachings to the individuals condemned to death in the state of Tennessee.”
REGISTER FOR THE 5/21 VIRTUAL VIGIL BEGINNING AT 9AM CT.
We are concerned that while the vast majority of states with capital punishment continue on a downward trend of executions, Tennessee continues to go against trend by carrying on an aggressive execution schedule.