People are searching “Anthony Darrell Hines” because Tennessee executed him this week for a murder he committed more than four decades ago. This piece lays out who he was, what he was convicted of, and exactly what happened at his execution, using only facts confirmed by multiple news outlets. Anything that couldn’t be verified is labeled clearly so you’re not left guessing.
Background: Who Was Anthony Darrell Hines?
Anthony Darrell Hines, sometimes listed in court records as Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines and known to friends and family as “Darrell,” was a Tennessee death row inmate. He had been sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of Catherine Jean Jackson Jenkins, a 54-year-old maid who was attacked while working at the CeBon Motel in Kingston Springs, a small town west of Nashville. Court documents state that on March 3, 1985, Jenkins was working as a maid at the motel off Interstate 40 in Kingston Springs when the attack took place.
He was first sentenced to death in 1986. He later won an appeal, which led to a new sentencing hearing, but the outcome was the same: he was sentenced to death again in 1989 and remained on death row for close to 40 years. Throughout that time, Hines maintained his innocence and pointed to problems with his original legal representation.
People are searching for him now for one direct reason: after decades of appeals, the state carried out his execution this week, and it happened under circumstances that made national headlines.
Latest Update
As of August 15, 2026, here is what’s currently known.
Anthony Darrell Hines was executed by lethal injection on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. The curtains to the death chamber opened at 10:30 a.m., about 30 minutes after the scheduled time, and Hines was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. He was 66 years old.
🗓️ Key date: Execution carried out August 13, 2026, at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville, Tennessee.
This was the first execution Tennessee carried out since a deeply controversial, aborted attempt in May 2026. That earlier case involved a different inmate, Tony Carruthers, whose execution was called off after the execution team could not establish the required backup IV line, prompting the state to stop the procedure and Governor Bill Lee to grant Carruthers a one-year reprieve. The doctor involved in that failed attempt, identified in multiple reports as Dr. Mark Fowler, later took part in Hines’ execution as well, which fueled last-minute legal challenges from Hines’ attorneys.
Hines’ legal team argued up until the morning of the execution that he should not be put to death, citing his declining health. According to reporting on the execution, Hines had been left paralyzed on his left side following a series of strokes over the preceding winter. His attorneys took the case as far as the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to pause the execution and review Tennessee’s procedures. The Supreme Court declined to intervene, and Tennessee’s governor announced two days earlier that he would not grant clemency.
⚠️ Sensitive content note: This case involves a violent crime and a state execution. Some quotes below from the victim’s family and legal counsel are direct and emotionally difficult to read.
Full Profile
Who He Was and Early Case History
Public reporting on Hines focuses almost entirely on his criminal case rather than his personal biography before 1985. His full legal name appears in court and news records as Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines. Details about his childhood, parents, education, and life before the crime are not covered in available news coverage and are treated here as unconfirmed rather than invented.
The Crime
Hines was convicted of first-degree felony murder in the 1985 killing of Catherine Jean Jackson Jenkins, who was working as a maid at the CeBon Motel in Kingston Springs, Tennessee, when the attack occurred. Jenkins was 54 years old at the time, and she was remembered by her family as a housekeeper, mother, and grandmother. Her son, Denis Jenkins, gave graphic testimony to reporters after the execution about the nature of the attack, describing multiple stab wounds.
Legal Timeline
Hines’ case moved through the courts for nearly four decades. He was sentenced to death in 1986, won an appeal that granted him a new sentencing hearing, and was sentenced to death again in 1989. In the final weeks before his execution, his attorneys pursued multiple emergency appeals centered on his health and on concerns about the physician assigned to the execution team.
The Execution
Hines was accompanied in the death chamber by his spiritual advisor, Diana Gallagher, and witnesses reported hearing singing before the curtains opened. Before the injection, Hines reportedly said, “Tell my son I love him,” according to a witness account. Hines’ son, whom his attorneys said he had met for the first time only four days before the execution, watched from the witness room alongside members of Catherine Jenkins’ family and media witnesses.
Reactions
Hines’ attorney, Katherine Dix, released a statement after the execution saying she grieved for both Jenkins’ family and for Hines, calling the process “the violence the State of Tennessee inflicted on us all today.” On the other side, Jenkins’ daughter, Melissa Jenkins, said in a press conference that the family had endured four decades of pain and grief, and that the execution finally brought justice, even though it didn’t bring her mother back.
Official Record
The execution was overseen by the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC). No personal social media account for Hines has been identified in public records or news coverage; as a longtime death row inmate, he did not maintain an official public profile. Readers looking for TDOC’s official statements can consult the department’s website directly.
Case Timeline at a Glance
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 3, 1985 | Catherine Jean Jackson Jenkins is murdered at the CeBon Motel, Kingston Springs, Tennessee |
| 1986 | Hines is first sentenced to death |
| 1989 | After a successful appeal and new hearing, Hines is sentenced to death a second time |
| May 21, 2026 | Separate inmate Tony Carruthers’ execution is called off after IV access problems |
| August 11, 2026 | Hines’ attorneys petition the U.S. Supreme Court to halt his execution |
| August 12, 2026 | Governor Bill Lee declines to grant clemency |
| August 13, 2026 | Hines is executed by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution; pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. |
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Who was Anthony Darrell Hines?
Anthony Darrell Hines was a Tennessee death row inmate convicted of the 1985 murder of Catherine Jean Jackson Jenkins, a motel housekeeper. He spent nearly 40 years on death row before being executed on August 13, 2026.
When was Anthony Darrell Hines executed?
He was executed on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee. He was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. by lethal injection.
What crime did Anthony Darrell Hines commit?
He was convicted of first-degree felony murder for killing Catherine Jean Jenkins in March 1985 while she worked as a maid at a motel in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. He was also convicted in connection with a sexual assault during the same attack.
Why was there controversy around his execution?
His attorneys argued he faced a heightened risk of a painful death because of health problems, including partial paralysis from strokes, and because the doctor assigned to his execution team had been involved in a botched execution attempt just months earlier. Courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, declined to stop the execution.
Did the governor grant Anthony Darrell Hines clemency?
No. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced two days before the execution that he would not intervene, stating he had upheld the sentence after a thorough review of the case.
What happened with the Tony Carruthers execution mentioned in this case?
Tony Carruthers was a separate Tennessee death row inmate whose execution was called off in May 2026 after the execution team could not establish a required IV line. The same physician later participated in Hines’ execution, which is part of why Hines’ case drew added scrutiny.
Is there a Wikipedia page for Anthony Darrell Hines?
As of this writing, we could not verify a stable, dedicated Wikipedia page specifically for Anthony Darrell Hines. If one exists or is created, it would likely cover the same case details reported here: his conviction, decades on death row, and 2026 execution. Treat any such page as unconfirmed until checked directly on Wikipedia.
Wrap-Up
Anthony Darrell Hines’ case is really two stories at once. It’s the story of a specific 1985 crime that took Catherine Jenkins’ life and left her family waiting 41 years for what they call justice. It’s also part of a bigger, ongoing story about how Tennessee carries out the death penalty, especially after the botched Carruthers execution raised hard questions about whether the state’s execution team is properly equipped to do this without causing unnecessary suffering.
Both threads matter, and neither cancels out the other. The Jenkins family’s grief and relief are real and well documented. So are the legal and medical concerns his attorneys raised about how the execution was carried out, concerns that multiple courts reviewed and ultimately declined to act on.
If you came here looking for a simple biography, the honest answer is that most of what’s publicly known about Anthony Darrell Hines centers on this case, not on a personal life story. That’s the nature of decades spent on death row: the news record is thin on early life and thick on courtroom history. This article reflects that reality rather than filling gaps with guesses.
Sources: WKRN, WSMV, Nashville Banner, NewsChannel5 (WTVF), NBC News, Fox17, Tennessee Lookout, Courthouse News Service, WKMS, Memphis Flyer. All facts current as of August 15, 2026.
Smith Andrew is the Founder and Editor of BiographyCabal. He researches, writes, and edits accurate, engaging, and well-researched biographies of celebrities, entrepreneurs, athletes, influencers, politicians, and other notable public figures. Committed to factual reporting and quality storytelling, Smith ensures every article is reader-focused, informative, and based on reliable sources, helping readers discover the lives, careers, and achievements of influential people around the world.