TONY CARRUTHERS v. STATE OF TENNESSEE - Articles

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TONY CARRUTHERS v. STATE OF TENNESSEE

Posted by: David Lazar on May 20, 2026

Court: TN Supreme Court

Attorneys 1: Lucas Camerson-Vaughn, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee; Maria DeLiberato, ACLU, Durham, North Carolina; and Melanie C. Verdicia, Quarles & Brady LLP, Tampa, Florida, for the Appellant, Tony Von Carruthers.

Attorneys 2: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; Courtney Orr, Deputy Attorney General; and Benjamin Barker, Assistant Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): ADDISON

Tony Von Carruthers, a death-row inmate scheduled for execution on May 21, 2026, filed a motion requesting last-minute DNA testing of fingernail scrapings and bindings from the murder victims. Mr. Carruthers sought an expedited ruling on the motion without an evidentiary hearing. After analyzing the request under the mandatory and discretionary provisions of the Post-Conviction DNA Analysis Act of 2001 (DNA Act), the post-conviction court denied the motion. Mr. Carruthers appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeals. Upon motion of Mr. Carruthers, this Court assumed jurisdiction pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 16-3- 201(d). Because Mr. Carruthers has failed to establish the statutory criteria for ordering analysis under the DNA Act, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

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