Tennessee prison chief who oversaw botched execution resigns: governor

Tennessee's prison commissioner, Frank Strada, is resigning this month following the botched execution of death row inmate Christa Pike. Governor Bill Lee announced Strada's departure on Saturday, stating it will allow for an independent review into the failed execution.

Christa Pike was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, but the process failed twice. According to her attorneys, Pike is currently unconscious and intubated in a hospital, using a ventilator to breathe and has significant injuries to both arms.

Strada said stepping down is in the best interest of the state's residents as the independent review ordered by Lee begins. He also stated that he believes the Department carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol. The review aims to determine why Pike's execution failed.

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