World
Christa Pike survives 2 lethal doses and stays on ventilator
BBC News··3 Oct
Tennessee inmate Christa Pike, 50, was unconscious, intubated and on a ventilator after authorities failed a lethal injection Wednesday, her lawyers said in court filings. She received two pentobarbital doses but remained alive and was hospitalised. Governor Bill Lee halted Tennessee executions for 2026 and ordered a review. Her lawyers sought commutation and evidence preservation.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Tennessee has paused scheduled executions through 2026 while an independent review runs, so other death row cases in the state face delay until that review concludes.
- Tennessee has paused scheduled executions through 2026 while an independent review runs, so other death row cases in the state face delay until that review concludes.
- Tennessee has paused scheduled executions through 2026 while an independent review runs, so other death row cases in the state face delay until that review concludes.
What's Happening
- Prison officials used at least seven needles during the attempt, her lawyers said.
- Hospital staff were working to clear pentobarbital from her system.
- It was Tennessee's second botched execution this year under the protocol Governor Bill Lee said the state followed.
IV access disputes in the filing
- Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for killing classmate Colleen Slemmer.
- Her attorneys had warned that thrombocytosis and small veins raised risks before the procedure.
- Her attorneys had warned that thrombocytosis and small veins raised risks before the procedure.
all-news
