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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered an investigation following the failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike. On Wednesday (September 30), Pike, 50, was subjected to two doses of lethal injection drugs but survived, leading to her hospitalization. The execution was halted after Pike remained alive, despite receiving the lethal chemicals.
Pike was set to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, a crime she committed at 18. The procedure was stopped after her attorneys reported "unnecessary agony" and "superadded physical and mental suffering" due to complications during the execution process. They noted issues such as difficult vein access and degraded pentobarbital, as reported by USA TODAY.
Governor Lee announced a comprehensive, third-party review to determine what went wrong. He has also postponed the state's remaining execution scheduled for this year. The Tennessee Department of Correction stated that they followed the state's execution protocol, which includes administering a secondary set of syringes if the first set fails to cause death.
Witnesses reported Pike snoring and complaining of pain during the process. At one point, she reportedly said, "My arm feels like it's about to burst open," according to NBC News. The curtains to the execution chamber were lowered twice, blocking witnesses from seeing the entire procedure.
The failed execution has sparked outrage and calls for a reevaluation of Tennessee's execution methods. NPR reported that this incident marks the second time this year that Tennessee has been unable to carry out an execution as planned. In May, the execution of Tony Carruthers was also halted due to complications.
Pike's attorneys and advocacy groups have argued that her execution would cause her to relive past trauma from childhood sexual abuse, constituting cruel and unusual punishment. The case has drawn significant attention, highlighting ongoing debates over the death penalty and the treatment of young offenders and women on death row.