Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike remains on ventilator after botched execution

Christa Pike, a 50‑year‑old death row inmate in Tennessee, was reported to be unconscious, intubated and on a ventilator on Thursday night after a lethal‑injection attempt failed, according to court filings by her lawyers.

Pike was administered two lethal doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday but did not die. She was subsequently taken by ambulance to a hospital in the Nashville area, where she remains critically ill.

Lawyers for Pike, who was sentenced to death in 1996 for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, have filed an emergency motion seeking to preserve all evidence related to the execution. Their filing states that prison officials used at least seven needles to establish intravenous lines, with one needle bent at a 90‑degree angle, and that Pike could be heard crying and breathing loudly throughout the procedure.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee ordered an independent review of the botched execution and halted all executions in the state for the year. The state Department of Correction defended its protocol, saying it did not allow for additional procedures beyond those carried out.

Medical experts cited in the filings suggest the pentobarbital may not have entered Pike’s bloodstream in sufficient concentration, possibly due to ruptured veins, clotting from her thrombocytosis condition, or issues with the drug’s quality.

Category: International

Source: BBC News. Photo: Marlon Castor / Pexels.