Tenn. governor calls off execution, citing oversight in plan

Tennessee's governor on Thursday called off what was to have been the state's first execution since the start of the pandemic, granting a temporary reprieve to the oldest inmate on death row for what was called an “oversight" in preparations for the lethal injection. Republican Gov. Bill Lee didn't elaborate on what issue forced the surprise 11th-hour stop to the planned execution of 72-year-old Oscar Smith. Shortly before the governor’s surprise announcement, the U.S. Supreme Court had denied a last-hour bid by Smith’s attorneys seeking to block the execution plan.

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