Tennessee prison system head to resign after failed Christa Pike execution

Tennessee's prison system head, Frank Strada, will resign following the botched execution of Christa Pike earlier this week, Governor Bill Lee announced on Saturday. Strada, who has been in the role since January 2023, stated that the Department of Correction carried out its duties according to established protocol. He agreed to step down to allow for an independent review ordered by Lee.

Pike, who was set to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, has been hospitalized since the failed execution attempt. Her lawyers claim the Tennessee Department of Correction IV team failed to correctly place her IVs, leading to the botched procedure. Pike, sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her former classmate, Colleen Slemmer, is now 50.

The Tennessee Department of Correction maintains compliance with the Attorney General's Office-approved protocol. Lee has called off the remaining executions scheduled for the rest of the year. Pike's attorneys requested an order to preserve all evidence related to the failed execution attempt.