Tennessee executed 66-year-old death row inmate Anthony Darrell Hines by lethal injection Thursday morning at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.

Hines was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. for the 1985 murder of Catherine Jenkins, who was killed at the age of 54 while working at a Kingston Springs motel. Jenkins is survived by her husband and four children, who have endured decades of grief since her death.

Governor Bill Lee denied clemency for Hines on Tuesday. Following the decision, defense attorneys filed emergency legal challenges attempting to halt the execution, citing concerns over Hines’ fragile health and recent medical complications.

Lawyers argued that Hines, who suffered partial paralysis from strokes in December 2025 and January 2026, faced a heightened risk of IV complications. They also pointed to issues from Tennessee’s previous execution attempt in May, when officials called off the lethal injection of Tony Carruthers after the medical team struggled for over an hour to establish backup IV access.

Despite last-minute legal efforts by his defense team to address these unanswered questions and medical risks, the execution proceeded as scheduled on Thursday morning.