Tennessee Halts Executions After Christa Pike Survives Lethal Injection Attempt
- On Wednesday, Tennessee officials failed to execute Christa Pike after administering two doses of pentobarbital, leaving the 50-year-old alive and requiring transport to an off-site medical facility.
- Convicted for the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer when Pike was 18, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a Sixth Circuit stay shortly before the procedure, allowing Tennessee to proceed.
- Witnesses reported Pike remained breathing and snoring after the second pentobarbital dose, while her attorneys alleged "difficult vein access" and "blown veins," arguing the state "failed to carry out a lawful execution."
- Governor Bill Lee halted Tennessee's remaining 2026 executions and ordered "a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred," marking the state's second unsuccessful procedure this year after Tony Carruthers's failed attempt.
- Pike would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years; women represent about 1% of U.S. executions since 1976, and any future attempt would require new court action.
1152 Articles
1152 Articles
Christa Pike's botched execution sparks debate on death penalty: 'This has to stop now'
Following the failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said an investigation is needed to determine what went wrong. The case has drawn reactions from pro-life advocates and from both opponents and supporters of the death penalty.
Former Knoxville police chief says investigators are still haunted by Colleen Slemmer's murder 31 years later - NEW YORK TIMES POST
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! More than three decades after the torture, mutilation and murder of Tennessee 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, former Knoxville Police Chief Phil Keith says he’s still haunted by the “satanic” crime scene. “I’ll remember this case to the day I die,” he told Fox News Digital Thursday. Keith had [...]
Rex Huppke: Christa Pike's botched execution is a moral stain on America
I understand the shock over the botched execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike in Tennessee. She survived what should have been a lethal dose of pentobarbital, her lawyer confirmed on Thursday, complained of pain and could still be heard snoring as witnesses were rushed away from the execution chamber. She wound up in a hospital late on Wednesday.
Brigitte Stegemann's Euthanasia Was Botched Just Like Christa Pike's Execution
On Wednesday, September 30, Tennessee had it’s second consecutive botched lethal injection execution, this time it was Christa Pike. The concerns related to botched execution deaths also apply to botched euthanasia and/or assisted suicide deaths. Concerning Christa Pike, a report from WBIR news stated: Pike’s attorneys say she was given two doses of the lethal injection […]
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