Warning: This article contains details that readers may find distressing.
Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike was reported unconscious, intubated, and on a ventilator on Thursday night after authorities failed to execute her by lethal injection, according to court filings from her lawyers. Pike, 50, was injected with two lethal doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday but remained alive and was subsequently transported to a hospital in an ambulance. She is currently critically ill and receiving treatment at a Nashville-area hospital.
Background
Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer. Following the failed execution attempt, her lawyers are seeking to have her sentence commuted. On Friday, they filed an emergency motion to preserve "any and all evidence" related to the botched execution. Hospital staff are working to save her life and clear the drug used, pentobarbital, from her system.
Execution Attempt Details
During the execution attempt, prison officials reportedly tried to start intravenous (IV) lines using at least seven needles on Pike. At one point, Pike herself offered guidance on where they could try. According to her lawyers, "one needle was bent in a 90-degree angle when it was removed." While receiving the two doses, "she could be heard crying, whimpering, and breathing loudly throughout the procedure."
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent review into Pike's botched execution and has halted all executions in the state for the remainder of the year. The state's department of correction defended the method used, stating that "the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out." Authorities have not yet indicated whether they will attempt to execute Pike again or provided explanations for the failure.
