Lawyers for a Florida man on death row are seeking to halt his upcoming execution, arguing that his obesity and health conditions could cause his chosen method of lethal injection to go wrong.

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

Tanzi’s lawyers said in court documents filed last week that their client is morbidly obese and suffers from sciatica, a condition that causes pain along the back’s sciatic nerve.

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.