US woman, 50, sentenced to death, given 2 lethal injections, survives & heard 'snoring'
She was sentenced to death in 1996.
Christa Gail Pike, a 50-year-old woman, was scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on September 30th but survived two attempts of lethal injection. According to her attorney, she was provided with life-saving measures in a hospital after the failed execution. Pike was heard snoring after the second round of injections before the microphone was switched off. She was later taken to an ambulance from the prison.
Witnesses observed Pike strapped to a gurney as officials opened the curtain to the execution chamber at around 7:30 PM. She reportedly communicated in full sentences as she was about to receive the drugs. Her first dose of pentobarbital was administered, followed by a second dose approximately an hour later.
The inmate could be heard snoring until the microphones were cut off at around 9 PM. She was transferred to an off-site medical facility after the failed execution. Tennessee prison officials follow a strict protocol, preparing both sets of lethal injection drugs but having a five-minute waiting period after the first set. If the inmate does not die after the first set, the second set is administered. However, the protocol does not specify what to do if the second injection fails.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee called for a thorough review of the failed execution and has halted the remaining scheduled execution before 2026. Pike's lawyers filed an emergency motion to the Supreme Court, arguing that she was experiencing unnecessary agony and denied her right to an execution free from cruel and unusual punishment. They highlighted issues such as difficult vein access, blown veins, degraded pentobarbital, and lack of emergency medical care when problems occurred.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
