In the state of Tennessee on 30 September, 50-year-old Christa Pike survived an attempt to carry out her death sentence by lethal injection. According to Reuters, after being administered two syringes containing the drugs, she was taken to a medical facility. Governor Bill Lee ordered an independent review and suspended executions scheduled until the end of 2026.
Briefly about the main points
- Paike survived the lethal injection procedure in Tennessee.
- Witnesses could hear her breathing and reported that her legs were moving.
- The prisoner was taken to a medical facility outside the prison.
- The Prison Service states that it is complying with the current protocol.
- The governor has halted the remainder of the state’s scheduled executions for this year.
Witnesses reported hearing breathing, pain and movement during the procedure
The execution was scheduled to take place at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Official media reports stated that after the drugs had been administered Pike She continued to breathe, made sounds like snoring, and moved her legs.
A reporter for WKRN TV Tori Hessner She said that the prisoner had complained of severe pain in her arm: according to her, Pike said she felt as though her arm was «about to burst» and asked whether the procedure was proceeding normally.
Paike was the only woman on death row in Tennessee, and her execution was set to be the first of a woman in the state in over 200 years. She was sentenced to death for the murder of a 19-year-old Collin Slammer in 1995; at the time of the crime, Pike was 18 years old. According to the case file, Slammer was lured into a wood near the Job Corps training centre in Knoxville, where he was killed following a prolonged assault.
The state will investigate the circumstances surrounding the botched execution
The Tennessee Department of Corrections stated that its staff had followed every step of the approved protocol. The department also noted that the current protocol does not provide for any further action following the procedures already carried out.
In federal court, Pike’s lawyers argued that she did not lose consciousness after the drugs were administered and that her heart continued to beat. This is the defence’s position. The official reason as to why the procedure did not result in the condemned woman’s death has not yet been established.
According to the AP, the state’s updated procedure stipulates the use of a single drug — pentobarbital — and a spare set of syringes. However, once the second set has been used, the protocol does not specify what further steps should be taken if the person is still alive.
Bill Lee announced a comprehensive independent review of the circumstances surrounding the execution and suspended the only other execution remaining on Tennessee’s 2026 calendar. The state authorities have not announced that they are abandoning lethal injection as a method of carrying out death sentences.
