Tennessee Inmate In Critical Condition After Botched Execution; Governor Halts Executions

Christa Pike, a 50-year-old woman condemned to death in Tennessee, was in critical condition after a botched execution that saw her survive two lethal injections. The state's lawyer, Randy Spivey, announced on Thursday that Pike was receiving life-saving care in a hospital after being taken from the execution chamber. Pike, who would have been Tennessee's first female execution in over 200 years, had endured 20 years of solitary confinement before her death sentence.

Experts described her case as unprecedented, as she was the first person to survive after being injected with lethal doses of drugs. Pike appeared awake during the execution, asking if she was supposed to feel the way she did, and later began snoring loudly. Her legal team had raised concerns about the execution protocol due to her small veins and blood condition.

Pike was beaten and killed her victim, Colleen Slemmer, when she was 18, and her case brought attention to capital punishment for young criminals. The US Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution on Wednesday night, but following a flood of legal filings, a clemency request was granted. US rights chief Volker Turk urged Tennessee not to attempt another execution.