US death row inmate survives execution

Governor Bill Lee has halted all executions in Tennessee for the rest of the year following the failed attempts to execute Christa Pike, a death row inmate. The state's highest court spokesperson told CBS News that Lee has ordered an independent review to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the failed execution. Pike, 50, was sentenced to death in 1996 for the brutal 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, which she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, committed.

Pike was set to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in over two centuries. The lethal injection attempt using pentobarbital failed twice on Wednesday, after which Pike was rushed to the hospital with an unknown medical condition.

Lee expressed his disappointment in a news conference, stating that he shares the disappointment of Tennesseans over the botched execution. The execution of Gary Sutton, a convicted murderer, was also paused on the same day, as part of Lee's order. Pike's legal team argued that she required life-saving measures following the failed execution.

The Tennessee Department of Correction, responsible for the execution, defended its handling of the case, stating that they adhered to the state's lawful execution protocol. This is the second failed execution in Tennessee this year; in May, Tony Carruthers' execution was halted when prison staff could not find a vein to administer the lethal drug. Carruthers was granted a one-year reprieve.