In a shocking turn of events, a planned execution in Tennessee ended without a death after Christa Gail Pike, 50, remained alive despite being given two doses of the drug used for lethal injections. Pike was due to be put to death for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. The failed execution prompted Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to order an independent investigation and suspend all other executions planned for 2026.
The execution, which was scheduled to take place at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, was delayed shortly before it was due to begin when the 6th Circuit US Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to grant a stay. The appeals court said it needed more time to consider claims that Pike's allegations of childhood sexual abuse had not received proper consideration when she was sentenced.
Once the execution resumed, prison officials administered two doses of pentobarbital, according to court filings submitted by Pike's lawyers. Media witnesses were allowed to observe the execution from a separate room. At 7:27 p.m., curtains were opened and Pike was seen secured to a gurney. She said during what were expected to be her final words that she was at peace and going to leave the world in love.
However, Pike did not lose consciousness as expected. Witnesses said she remained awake and at one point raised her head and asked prison officials if her arm was supposed to feel that way. It was unclear what she was referring to. The second dose of pentobarbital was given at 8:26 p.m., but Pike could still be heard snoring behind the curtain until the microphone was switched off at 8:53 p.m.
The Tennessee Department of Correction defended the procedure, saying prison officials had followed the state's approved process. However, Pike's lawyers filed an emergency application with the Tennessee Supreme Court seeking to stop the execution, arguing that she was suffering "unnecessary agony" and that the procedure violated her constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
This is not the first time Tennessee has been unable to carry out an execution this year. In May, officials abandoned the planned execution of Tony Carruthers, who was convicted of kidnapping and killing three people in 1994. Execution workers spent more than an hour attempting to insert an IV for the administration of pentobarbital before the procedure was called off.
Pike and her boyfriend were convicted over Slemmer's killing in 1995. Pike did not deny killing Slemmer, but her supporters argued that her age, mental illness, and claims of serious sexual abuse should have been considered in deciding her punishment. She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Key points
- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent investigation into the failed execution and suspended all other executions planned for 2026.
- The execution was halted after Christa Pike remained alive despite being given two doses of the drug used for lethal injections.
- Pike's lawyers argued that the procedure violated her constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
