TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on May 28, 2026

Death row inmate Tony Carruthers’ attorneys are criticizing the qualifications of the doctor who participated in his failed execution on May 21 at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. The Tennessean reports that Mark Walton Fowler is a family medicine doctor in Union City. He has an active Tennessee medical license but does not have hospital privileges. Fowler previously said he had not performed a central line procedure since 2013. Carruthers reportedly was pierced more than 12 times in an attempt to access his veins. Prison officials called off the procedure and Gov. Bill Lee granted Carruthers a one-year reprieve from execution. Fowler has participated in at least two other executions: Oscar Smith in May 2025 and Byron Black in August 2025. A lawsuit challenging the state’s execution protocols is scheduled to go to trial in February 2027.