Inmate Survives Failed Lethal Injection in Tennessee

Overview

• Christa Pike survived after receiving two doses of pentobarbital during a lethal injection attempt that failed to cause death on September 30.
• She remains hospitalized but is conscious, speaking and able to walk short distances while suffering serious arm injuries and intermittent confusion.
• A Tennessee judge ordered the state to preserve all physical evidence and records from the attempt, including IV lines, syringes, drug packaging and psychological notes.
• Governor Bill Lee has suspended all executions in Tennessee through the end of the year and no new execution date has been set for Pike.
• Pike's lawyers have asked courts to block another execution attempt and urged the governor to commute her sentence to life without parole, a fight that highlights legal and medical questions about lethal-injection drugs and could prompt litigation and policy review.