History of Botched Executions

The Recent Tennessee Execution Adds to America's Long History of Botched Procedures

The failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee has been the latest in a long series of botched executions in the United States. The failures have varied from difficulty finding a vein, drugs that didn't kill, and gruesome scenes involving blood or flames. While most executions end with the death sentence fulfilled, mistakes can occur. The first execution by the electric chair was performed in New York in 1890.