the state of Tennessee is planning to execute a potentially innocent man this month.
Critical evidence that could prove Tony Carruthers’ innocence has never been tested – yet he’s spent the 30 years since his conviction in limbo on death row, awaiting an execution for a crime he’s maintained he never committed.
The ACLU is fighting to get a court to consider all of the evidence in Tony’s case, including untested fingerprints and DNA, statements from his co-defendant exonerating Tony, and evidence that the state’s main witness was secretly being paid to testify. And you can join us in demanding justice.
This forensic testing is critical to determine if Tennessee even has the right person.
There is no physical evidence connecting Tony Carruthers to the crime, so his conviction was entirely based on testimony, primarily from one paid informant who later recanted his statement. One of the men who was involved even said that Tony played no role in the crime and instead pointed investigators to another man – a man whose fingerprints still have not been compared to the unmatched ones found at the crime scene.
Today, Tony’s lawyers met with the governor’s office to lay out these injustices and ask for clemency. In the meantime, we’re still fighting in the courts – and we need every person with us to show the governor the public is watching and demanding justice for Tony.
Thanks for fighting for justice with us,
Maria DeLiberato
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Senior Counsel, ACLU Capital Punishment Project
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004, USA