Failed Tennessee execution renews the debate over death penalty methods
Nashville, Tennessee (AP) — Tennessee officials have not yet disclosed what went wrong during the botched execution of Christa Pike, which was halted after she was administered two doses of the lethal injection drug meant to cause death. On Thursday, it remained unclear if Pike was still alive. She was heard snoring loudly in the execution chamber late Wednesday and nearly 30 minutes after receiving a second dose of pentobarbital.
The 50-year-old was sentenced to death for a murder she committed in 1995 when she was 18, making her the first woman executed in Tennessee in over two centuries. An appeals court had halted the execution an hour before it was scheduled to start, but the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that stay. Tennessee operates with a single-drug lethal injection protocol after switching from a three-drug series in 2024.
The state claims it followed its established execution protocol, but no clear answers emerged about what transpired. Governor Bill Lee postponed the remaining execution of 2024 and ordered a review to determine the exact sequence of events.
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Also reported by 2 other outlets
- UN rights chief urges Tennessee not to repeat execution attempt freemalaysiatoday.com
- Witnesses detail horror of Tennessee woman’s botched execution: ‘None of it was normal’ theguardian.com
