Crime · updated 14m ago · 2 min read
Bill Lee Orders Investigation After Christa Pike Survives Two Pentobarbital Doses
A federal appeals court halted the execution an hour before, to review abuse claims. Pike survived two lethal injections and was hospitalized in critical condition.
145 outlets told this the same way.
6 of 7 outlets skipped it: pike sought an all-female firing squad instead of lethal injection.
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Botched lethal injection
Christa Pike, the only woman sentenced to death in Tennessee, survived an attempted execution after officials administered two doses of pentobarbital at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, and witnesses said she was still breathing and snoring when they were escorted out.
Gov. Bill Lee ordered an investigation and a temporary halt to scheduled executions after Pike appeared to still be breathing, and he said, "I have ordered a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred."
Witnesses said authorities appeared to administer two rounds of lethal pentobarbitol, and reporter Tori Gessner said, "Nothing about today was normal, typical -- at all."
Pike’s attorneys said the state failed to carry out a lawful execution, and they argued, "Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution."
Supreme Court and dissent
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a stay and allowed Pike’s execution to proceed, and the decision stated, "The petition to vacate the stay of execution of the death penalty is granted."
Sonia Sotomayor dissented, and she wrote that the ruling "clears the way for the State to execute Pike before her pending legal challenges to her conviction can be adequately considered."
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ABC News described witnesses saying Pike appeared to still be breathing an hour later, even after the curtains were closed on the execution chamber, while the Tennessee Department of Corrections had not confirmed her condition.
ABC News also reported that the U.S. Supreme Court’s majority did not explain its decision, which came hours after a federal appeals court paused the execution at the 11th hour to review the capital case.
What happens next
Tennessee officials were unable to put Pike to death after administering two doses of lethal drug, and Gov. Bill Lee halted the remaining execution for the rest of the year.
ABC7 Los Angeles reported that Pike was alive and loudly snoring after the attempted lethal injection and was taken by ambulance from the prison, while her attorneys said they had not been told about her condition.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections said it followed every step of the state’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office, and it said, "The Tennessee Department of Correction said in a statement that they \"followed every step of the State's lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General's Office.\""
Al Jazeera quoted human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith saying, "it’s always a desperate midnight struggle to stop it," as the attempted execution ended with Pike transferred to a medical facility outside the prison.