EXECUTION DATE FOR GARY WAYNE SUTTON SET FOR DEC. 3RD, 2026
In Blount County, Tennessee, Gary Wayne Sutton, convicted of the 1992 murders of brother and sister Tommy Griffin and Connie Branam, faces execution on December 3, 2026, despite maintaining his innocence. Sutton was sentenced to death for Griffin’s murder, who was found shot in the head after being last seen with Sutton and his co-defendant James Dellinger, who died in 2023 while awaiting execution.
Sutton received a life sentence for Branam’s death, whose body was discovered in her car in Sevier County days after Griffin’s murder. Investigations linked the siblings’ deaths and a fire at Griffin’s trailer, but Sutton’s lawyer, Randy Spivey, argues the case relies on flawed evidence from disgraced medical examiner Charles Harlan, who lost his license due to malpractice. Supporters, including Sutton’s former girlfriend Carolyn Miller, claim he was with her during the murders, and a private investigator allegedly uncovered evidence clearing him.
Sutton, described as intellectually disabled, has a pending claim in state court. Tennessee’s resumption of executions follows a revised lethal injection protocol, with another execution date recently set for Christa Pike.
