Lawyers for a Florida death row inmate are attempting to stop his forthcoming execution, contending that his obesity and health issues may lead to complications with his selected method of lethal injection.

Michael Tanzi, aged 48, is set to be executed on April 8 at Florida State Prison following his conviction for the kidnapping and murder of a woman in Miami in 2000. Governor Ron DeSantis signed Tanzi’s death warrant on March 10, but his attorneys are petitioning the state’s highest court for a stay of execution.

In court documents submitted last week, Tanzi’s lawyers stated that he is morbidly obese and suffers from sciatica, a condition resulting in pain along the sciatic nerve in the back.

They argued that Florida’s lethal injection procedure may not work due to Tanzi’s weight, stressing that a sedation drug might not fully take effect and leave him “paralyzed but aware” during the process. His lawyers claimed that executing him would violate the Eighth Amendment, which protects against forms of cruel and unusual punishment.

In Florida, executions must be carried out by lethal injection or electric chair. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Acosta was seated inside her parked van in April 2000 when Tanzi attacked her and threatened her with a razor blade. He bound and gagged her before he began driving the van toward the Florida Keys. At one point, Tanzi sexually assaulted Acosta and used her bank card to withdraw money from ATMs.

If Tanzi’s execution is carried out as planned, it would be the third in Florida so far this year. James Dennis Ford was put to death last month for the 1997 murder of a couple in Charlotte County and Edward James was executed earlier this month for raping and murdering an 8-year-old girl and killing her grandmother.