Failed Execution Attempt
Tennessee Execution Attempt Leaves Christa Pike Alive After Prolonged Lethal Injection
Anonymous
Christa Pike, 50, remained alive and reportedly conscious and snoring after Tennessee administered two doses of lethal-injection drugs on Sept. 30, prompting her lawyers to seek an emergency halt and immediate medical care. Witnesses described an unusually prolonged procedure with the chamber curtains closed repeatedly; emergency vehicles later arrived, but officials had not publicly explained what happened or confirmed Pike’s condition. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a last-minute federal appeals-court stay, which had paused the execution to consider whether Pike’s lawyers adequately presented her history of childhood abuse and neglect at sentencing. If carried out, Pike would be Tennessee’s first woman executed in more than 200 years. She was convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, committed when Pike was 18; this was Tennessee’s second troubled execution attempt this year, following an aborted procedure in May when staff could not establish IV access.
Key Points
1
A witness reported hearing Pike say, “My arm feels like it’s about to bust. One spot is really throbbing,” while she was in the death chamber.
2
Pike’s lawyers argued that the procedure risked causing her particular physical and psychological harm, citing her small veins, history of sexual trauma and other medical conditions; they characterized the ordeal as an Eighth Amendment violation.
3
According to an attorney not involved in Pike’s case, if Tennessee did not complete the execution by the end of Wednesday, the state Supreme Court would have to set a new execution date.
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