Facing the Death Penalty

Pike's failed execution in Tennessee did not endear the state to its citizens. Although the event was not open to the public, there were rooms adjacent to the death chamber. May Martinez, the mother of Colleen Slemmer, sat in one of these rooms. Slemmer was nineteen when Pike, an eighteen-year-old at the time, brutally murdered her with the help of two teenage accomplices.

Journalists, referred to as "media witnesses," occupied another room. At 7:26 P.M., as reported by the journalists, a black curtain was pulled back, revealing Pike strapped to a gurney. Prison staff had already inserted IV lines and commenced the administration of pentobarbital from another room. The journalists listened as Pike spoke her final words and sang with her Buddhist spiritual adviser.

She then asked if her arm would hurt as much as it did, an indication that her veins might burst. She raised her head and kicked her legs, dislodging a sheet from the gurney. At 7:46 P.M., the curtain closed, only to reopen three minutes later, presumably to allow witnesses to observe the effects of a backup dose. What they saw was Pike, clearly still alive.

At 8:05 P.M., the curtain closed again, but the microphone remained on, providing journalists with the sound of Pike's labored breathing and snoring. When finally dismissed at 8:53 P.M., the journalists were convinced Pike was not dead. Steven Hale of the Nashville Banner commented at a press conference that the majority of the proceedings transpired behind a closed curtain.

Following the incident, further details emerged. Pike's lawyers had informed the court that she had blood and circulatory issues that put her at risk, a point they had previously argued should have carried more weight in her sentencing. According to the Associated Press, I.V. complications have disrupted more than half a dozen executions since 2009, including one in Tennessee in May.

Pike's case is unique because the execution team continued with the pentobarbital injection despite the complications. The recklessness of this decision will likely be a key focus of the investigation ordered by Governor Bill Lee. Lee has postponed other pending executions but has not yet decided if the state will attempt to execute Pike once more.

It remains uncertain if she will fully recover. Recently, it was revealed that even the call for an ambulance was mishandled. Pike's lawyers have described her treatment as torture. A pertinent question is how the night might have concluded if no one had been present. The distinction lies in insisting on witnesses and staging a spectacle.

Jared Hegseth, a right-wing influencer, promoted the live stream in an interview, advocating for a public execution. However, the more significant issue was the potential glorification of Hegseth's plan, which could have fulfilled Hasan's desire for martyrdom. While a few countries, such as Iran and Afghanistan, have conducted public executions in recent years, only the U.S. and Japan among the thirty-eight nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development regularly carry out death sentences.

The Eighth Amendment prohibits "cruel and unusual punishments," although the Supreme Court has gradually tightened its standards. The Pike and Hasan cases underscore the fine line between a routine and an unbearable execution. When asked about Hegseth's live stream, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin stated, "No one has to watch."

However, this response also conveyed a tacit hope that no one would notice the administration's unapologetic behavior, exemplified by figures like Hegseth.