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Our analysis shows that 1 in 3 defendants sentenced to death in Tennessee has been from Memphis — a pattern that researchers say shows how prosecutors use their power. At least 77 people from Shelby County have been sent to death row since the 1970s, but most of those sentences were overturned.

Currently, 21 people on death row are from Memphis. All are men who were convicted of first-degree murder.  Tony Carruthers is one of the defendants sentenced to death in Shelby County. Since his conviction in the 1990s, Carruthers has maintained his innocence, and his family stands with him.

When the state botched his execution in May, it turned public attention to death row. Carruthers is one of 41 people serving a death sentence in Tennessee. People from Shelby County make up 51% of the state’s death row population while accounting for only 12% of the state’s overall population.

Prosecutors have tremendous power in the criminal justice system. Part of their job is to lead criminal cases through trial, negotiate plea deals with people accused of crimes and recommend prison sentences for people convicted of crimes.

Usually, the jury is responsible for deciding the sentence, but the death penalty can only be recommended for defendants convicted of first-degree murder. Data analysis shows death row prisoners in Tennessee await their execution for an average of 26 years.

Most defendants sentenced to death in Shelby County have been resentenced to life or a lesser sentence. This means the courts have repeatedly found flaws in the county’s death penalty cases — from arrest, investigation and trial to quality of defense representation and jury selection.

Out of an instinct to build solidarity with Carruthers, Richardson said he started a petition to ask the state to pause the execution and review Carruthers’ case. But that didn’t happen. “The form of power that incarcerated people are most familiar with is the misuse of power,” Richardson said.