Electric Chair Debate Renewed

Sen. Marsha Blackburn Urges Tennessee to Reinstate Electric Chair Following Botched Execution

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has urged Tennessee to reintroduce the electric chair for executions following a botched execution of death-row prisoner Christa Pike. Blackburn, who is running for the state’s gubernatorial race, called the botched execution “tragic” and prolonged the grief process for victims. Pike was convicted of first-degree murder after she confessed to the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Her scheduled execution was initially delayed by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Earlier this year, state executioners failed to execute death row inmate Tony Carruthers after they failed to find a vein for a lethal injection. The United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called on state authorities to abandon the death penalty.