Convicted US murderer Christa Pike, 50, was left unconscious and on a ventilator after a botched execution attempt by lethal injection in Tennessee. Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, a crime she committed when she was 18 years old. Her lawyers reported that she was rushed to a Nashville-area hospital after the execution went awry. As of Thursday evening, Pike "remains critically ill and is being treated" at the hospital.
According to witnesses, Pike remained awake longer than expected after being injected with two deadly doses of pentobarbital. She was later heard "loudly snoring" before an ambulance rushed her to the hospital. Pike's lawyer, Luke Ihnen, wrote in a court filing that medics were working to save her life after she arrived with "both arms swollen, burned, and blistered." The incident has sparked outrage, with Pike's lawyers and human rights advocates calling for her sentence to be commuted.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections claimed that it "followed every step of the state's lawful, established execution protocol." However, the botched execution has raised questions about the state's death penalty procedures. This is the second failed execution in Tennessee this year, after the execution of Tony Carruthers was halted in May due to medical staff being unable to tap a vein.
Pike's lawyers had argued that she should be granted clemency due to her young age and mental health issues at the time of the murder. They also cited her history of childhood sexual assault and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Death Penalty Information Center described the botched execution as "the worst we've seen and unlike any other botched execution in the modern era."
The incident has drawn widespread attention, with US President Donald Trump questioning how the execution could have failed. UN rights chief Volker Turk urged Tennessee not to make another attempt to execute Pike. If the execution had been successful, Pike would have been the first woman executed by the state in over two centuries.
The governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, has halted further executions through the rest of the year while a review is conducted. Pike's lawyers are calling for her sentence to be commuted, citing her prolonged suffering and the trauma she has endured during her time on death row. The case has highlighted concerns about the use of the death penalty in the United States.
The botched execution has also sparked anger from the victim's family, with Colleen Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, expressing outrage and disappointment. Martinez, who traveled from Florida to witness the execution, said that she had only wanted justice for her daughter. The incident has raised questions about the effectiveness and morality of the death penalty in the United States.
Key points
- The botched execution of Christa Pike has raised questions about the state's death penalty procedures and sparked calls for her sentence to be commuted.
- The incident has drawn widespread attention, with human rights advocates and politicians calling for a review of the death penalty in Tennessee.
- The governor of Tennessee has halted further executions through the rest of the year while a review is conducted.
