Christa Pike survived an attempted execution in Tennessee after receiving two doses of pentobarbital, prompting state officials to launch an investigation into what went wrong.
Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, was scheduled to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in 200 years. However, she remained alive after the state carried out its lethal injection procedure on Wednesday night.
According to CNN, witnesses said Pike was still breathing and snoring after the drugs were administered. Her legal team said Thursday that she was in critical condition and receiving life-saving medical treatment.
The failed execution has raised questions about Tennessee’s lethal injection procedures and what could happen next in Pike’s case.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced that the state’s remaining execution scheduled for this year would be called off while an independent review examines the circumstances surrounding Pike’s case.
“We need to know what happened,” the office of Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement.
Witnesses Describe Unusual Execution Attempt
Pike’s execution had initially been scheduled for Wednesday morning but was delayed by last-minute legal appeals.
Media witnesses later entered the witness chamber at 6:41 p.m. The blinds separating them from the execution chamber opened at 7:26 p.m., shortly before Pike delivered her final statement.
According to a timeline provided by WKRN journalist Tori Gessner, Pike complained at 7:34 p.m. that her arm felt as though it was about to burst. Witnesses then observed her breathing, moaning and snoring.
The blinds were closed and reopened several times during the procedure. When they reopened at 7:49 p.m., Pike was reportedly still alive and snoring.
Witnesses eventually left the area at 8:53 p.m. without Pike having been declared dead.
Catherine Sweeney, a WPLN reporter who witnessed the procedure, said the execution differed significantly from others she had covered.
“None of it was normal,” she said.
Pike’s attorney Randy Spivey later said the execution team spent about an hour attempting to establish an IV line and used at least seven needles in her left arm.
Her attorneys raised several possible explanations for the failure, including problems accessing her veins and concerns about the pentobarbital used during the procedure. Those claims have not been established as the cause of the failed execution.
Tennessee Says Execution Protocol Was Followed
The Tennessee Department of Correction maintains that officials followed the state’s established execution protocol.
“The Tennessee Department of Correction followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office,” the department said.
Officials said Pike was transported to an off-site medical facility after the procedure failed to result in her death.
Tennessee uses a one-drug lethal injection protocol involving pentobarbital. The procedure includes a primary dose and a backup dose that can be administered if the inmate has not died.
However, according to the protocol cited by CNN, there is no established procedure detailing what officials should do if the second dose also fails.
Cases in which a person survives an execution attempt are extremely rare.
Austin Sarat, an Amherst College professor who has written extensively about the death penalty, told CNN that Pike appears to be the first person to survive a lethal injection after the drugs reached her system.
One historical comparison dates back approximately 80 years. Willie Francis survived an attempted execution in Louisiana’s electric chair in 1946. He was executed in a second attempt the following year.
For now, Pike remains hospitalized while Tennessee investigates what happened during the attempted execution. The case has also renewed debate over lethal injection procedures and the use of capital punishment in the United States.
