+34
Christa Pike, Tennessee's lone female death row inmate, survived a botched execution attempt on Wednesday. Despite receiving a lethal injection, she remained conscious and required medical treatment, prompting a third-party investigation and a halt to further executions.
Christa Pike and her boyfriend were convicted of the 1995 torture and killing of Colleen Slemmer. Tennessee failed to execute the lone woman on its death row as planned Wednesday, after injecting her with a lethal drug, a stunning development after the Supreme Court attorneys for Christa Pike said early Thursday that she was being treated at a hospital, but they did not know her condition.
A spokesperson for the Department of Correction did not answer an emailed question Wednesday evening whether she was alive but said she was "transported to an off-site medical facility.
Witnesses Describe Botched Execution
" Pike, 50, is the state's only woman on death row. She was convicted of murdering a classmate, Colleen Slemmer, 19, in 1995 and sentenced to death. Pike was 18 at the time of the murder. In a news conference Wednesday night, journalists who witnessed the botched execution, described snoring and complaints from Pike about pain, as well as her kicking her feet so often that she knocked off the sheets laid on her.
At times, the curtain was closed and journalists could only hear sounds. In a federal court filing seeking to halt her execution, Pike's lawyers said witnesses saw executioners injecting "both syringes of lethal injection chemicals," but that Pike remained alive. They said Pike "has not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat" and that curtains to the death chamber "have gone down twice," according to the lawyers.
Convicted killer Christa Pike was to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years. (AP PHOTO) In a phone interview with NBC News early Thursday, Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, described the failed execution attempt. Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, said in a statement that he was ordering "a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred.
Governor Orders Comprehensive Review
" He added that the last remaining execution for this year in Tennessee will not be carried out as planned. An ambulance was seen arriving at the prison where Pike was to be executed and then leaving. Medical aid was being administered, according to online federal court records.
"It appeared that this did not go like they thought it was supposed to go," said John North, an investigative producer at WBIR television in Knoxville. "But we don't know that. When we left the building, so far as we knew, she was probably still alive.
" Tori Gessner, a reporter and anchor at WKRN of Nashville who has witnessed five executions in the state, said at a news conference: "Nothing about today was normal, typical, at all. " Gessner said that at 7.34pm local time, Pike was heard saying, "My arm feels like it's about to burst open. " Pike then talked about that spot on her arm and asked, "Does this happen like that? " Gessner said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Correction said the state "followed every step of the State's lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General's Office" and that "the lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective.
Second Failed Execution in Tennessee
" Christa Pike and her boyfriend were convicted of the 1995 torture and killing of Colleen Slemmer, who Pike said was a rival for the affections of her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp. It's the second time an execution did not go as planned in Tennessee this year. Tony Carruthers, convicted in three 1994 killings, was granted a one-year reprieve after executioners in May couldn't find a vein for a backup IV.
"Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution," Pike's attorneys said in a statement. The execution warrant for Pike was set to expire at midnight local time (1 a.m. ET Thursday). The Department of Correction did not immediately say whether it would attempt another execution or when.
The process to execute Pike began at about 8 p.m., her lawyers said, after the Supreme Court vacated a lower court's Wednesday morning order that had temporarily blocked it. The high court's decision hours later capped a flurry of last-minute legal maneuvering in a bid by Pike's defense team to spare her life. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, told The Associated Press that what Pike experienced is "singular and unparalleled.
Victim Mother Expresses Furious Reaction
" "They went to try to execute her, and she didn't die," said Martinez, who wanted the execution carried out and was furious with the governor, the director of the Department of Correction and the attorney general. Martinez told NBC News that Pike never expressed remorse during Wednesday's attempted execution.
"Not nothing ... about what happened, you know, to Colleen," Martinez said. "They didn't say anything, and then, all of a sudden, they asked all the victims to leave. And we left," Martinez said.
"We didn't know anything until we got up to the office and saw the commissioner," she said. "And he said that it didn't work ... and she's on her way to the hospital. "
Christa Pike Tennessee Execution Death Row Lethal Injection Botched Medical Treatment Governor Bill Lee Investigation Legal Appeal
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tennessee Execution of Christa Pike Halted by Federal Appeals CourtA US federal appeals court paused the execution of Tennessee woman Christa Pike just an hour before it was scheduled to take place, seeking a review of her sentencing regarding allegations of childhood abuse. This was set to be the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in over two centuries.
Read more »
Christa Pike alive after two doses of lethal injection in TennesseeTennessee death row inmate Christa Pike survived two syringes of pentobarbital during a botched execution. Her lawyers filed emergency motions after she remained conscious and snoring.
Read more »
Tennessee fails to execute Christa Pike after two doses of lethal injectionChrista Pike, 50, survived two doses of pentobarbital during a botched lethal injection in Tennessee and was taken to hospital. Governor Bill Lee suspended executions and ordered an investigation.
Read more »
Tennessee Governor Halts Remaining Executions After Failed Injection of Christa PikeGovernor Bill Lee suspends all Tennessee executions for 2026 after Christa Pike survives lethal injection, citing protocol failure and ordering a thorough review.
Read more »