World
Christa Pike survives Tennessee execution after 2 doses
The Indian Express··3 Oct
Christa Pike, 50, was unconscious on a ventilator after a failed Tennessee lethal injection. Lawyers said staff used at least seven needles before two pentobarbital doses. She was taken to a Nashville-area hospital for treatment. Governor Bill Lee ordered a review and halted executions for the year. Pike was sentenced for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Tennessee executions are halted for the remainder of the year under Governor Bill Lee's order.
- Pike remains under hospital treatment after the failed procedure, her lawyers said.
- An independent review will examine what went wrong before any further schedule is set.
What's Happening
- Court filings say prison officials bent one needle at a 90-degree angle during IV attempts.
- Lawyers called the attempt botched and asked courts to preserve all related evidence.
- The Department of Correction said its protocol did not allow further steps beyond those taken.
The case behind the sentence
- Pike was sentenced for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville.
- She was 18 at the time of the killing and is the only woman on Tennessee's death row.
- The US Supreme Court rejected two last-minute efforts to stop the execution attempt.
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