Christa Pike remains alive in critical condition after failed execution, attorneys say
Attorneys said Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital and was taken to a hospital, prompting Governor Bill Lee to halt executions and order a review.
- On Wednesday, Christa Pike survived a failed execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville after officials administered two doses of pentobarbital; she remained alive and was transported by ambulance to an off-site hospital.
- Legal challenges delayed the execution for hours; the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily halted the process that morning, but the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the stay in a 6-3 decision, allowing officials to proceed before midnight.
- During the attempt, Pike asked officials if her arm was supposed to feel a certain way; the execution chamber curtains were closed and reopened multiple times as two pentobarbital doses were administered over more than an hour, with Pike audibly snoring nearly 30 minutes after the backup dose.
- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee halted all executions for the remainder of 2026 and ordered a comprehensive third-party review, calling the incident 'deeply disturbing' and indefinitely postponing Pike's execution and the state's lone remaining scheduled execution.
- Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, described Pike's survival as 'singular and unparalleled,' noting seven other people survived execution team failures but none survived after receiving lethal drugs; Tennessee switched to single-drug pentobarbital in 2024 following a previous execution halt.
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It is alive, 'but in serious conditions'. Buffering on the drug but remains the hard line (ANSA)
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abc 7 LAChrista Pike is alive a day after Tennessee's failed attempt to execute her, her lawyers say
May Martinez, left, mother of murder victim Colleen Slemmer, walks out of Riverbend Maximum Security Institution during a stay of the planned execution of Christa Pike, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)This photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows Christa Pike on Jan. 12, 2023. (TDOC via AP)Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Chr…
The governor of Tennessee ordered an independent investigation into the incident, calling it "deeply shocking."
The quinquennial survived two attempts by the Tennessee State to execute it by lethal injection.
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