Daijiworld Media Network - Nashville
Nashville, Oct 1: Tennessee authorities halted the execution of death-row inmate Christa Pike after the lethal injection procedure failed to kill her on Wednesday, September 30. Pike was later transported by ambulance to an off-site medical facility, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC).
The execution had been scheduled for 10 am local time at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. TDOC said it followed every step of the state's established execution protocol, which had been approved by the Attorney General's Office.
Pike's attorneys had filed an emergency motion seeking to stop the execution after she received lethal injection drugs but remained alive. Media witnesses reported that Pike complained of pain during the procedure.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered a comprehensive third-party investigation into what went wrong and postponed the state's remaining scheduled execution this year, that of Gary Wayne Sutton, which had been set for December 3.
The failed execution came after a day of legal developments. A federal appeals court had temporarily halted the execution before the US Supreme Court lifted the stay, allowing Tennessee to proceed.
Pike's attorneys had argued that her history of severe childhood sexual abuse should be considered in determining whether her execution would violate constitutional protections. The US Supreme Court declined to intervene before the execution, while three justices dissented.
Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. Prosecutors said Pike and two accomplices lured Slemmer to an isolated area, where she was tortured and killed.
If carried out successfully, Pike's execution would have been the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in more than two centuries. Tennessee's Department of Correction had scheduled the execution for September 30, 2026.
As of the latest official statement, TDOC had not announced Pike's medical condition after she was transferred to the hospital. The department said its execution protocol does not permit additional procedures beyond those carried out during Wednesday's attempt.