+34
Pike was placed on a ventilator and remained unconscious in a hospital, her attorneys said Friday
The head of Tennessee’s prison system is resigning after the failed execution of Christa Pike, Gov. Bill Lee announced Saturday. Lee said that Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada will step down this month.
Strada said in a statement that stepping aside “is in the best interests” of the state as an independent review is carried out to determine why Pike’s execution failed Wednesday. Pike was placed on a ventilator and remained unconscious in a hospital, her attorneys said in a court filing Friday.
Hospital staff, her lawyers said, were working to save Pike’s life and as of late Thursday were trying to clear the two doses of the drug that the state uses to execute prisoners. The stunning failure in Tennessee’s execution chamber on Wednesday has left both sides of the death penalty debate demanding answers. Lee has ordered an independent review.
Pike’s attorneys said they believed problems with the IV lines caused the pentobarbital to flow into her body instead of her bloodstream.
“Apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realize that the IV lines were not correctly placed or that the veins had blown and that the pentobarbital was, in whole or in part, entering Ms. Pike’s body,” they wrote in the court filing. Pike was 18 when she and her boyfriend tortured and killed a classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in a jealous rage. She later became one of the youngest women to be sent to death row.
Canada News Breaking News Video Canadian Breaking News Breaking News Globe And Mail Breaking News Globe And Mail Canada News Photos World News Local News National News Us News Foreign News Sports News Arts News Life News Lifestyle Canada Traffic Canada Weather Trudeau Government Federal Government Canada Sports Canada Sports News Politics Politics News Political News Political Opinion Environment Economy Technology Education Travel Canada Alberta Bc British Columbia Manitoba Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia Pei New Brunswick Newfoundland And Labrador Nunavut Northwest Territories Yukon Globe And Mail
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tennessee governor halts executions after Christa Pike survives lethal injection attemptTennessee officials were unable to put Christa Gail Pike to death Wednesday after giving her two doses of pentobarbital, prompting Gov. Bill Lee to order a review and halt the state's remaining execution this year.
Read more »
Tennessee Execution of Christa Pike Fails After Two Doses of PentobarbitalTennessee called off the execution of Christa Pike after she received two doses of pentobarbital and remained alive, prompting Gov. Bill Lee to halt executions and order an outside review.
Read more »
Tennessee halts executions after Christa Pike survives two doses of pentobarbitalChrista Pike, 50, remained alive after two doses of pentobarbital in Tennessee's failed execution attempt, prompting Gov. Bill Lee to order a third-party review and suspend another scheduled execution this year.
Read more »
Christa Pike Remains Alive After Two Rounds of Lethal Injection in Tennessee ExecutionChrista Pike survived two rounds of lethal injections during her execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Media witnesses reported that she was still breathing and experienced significant pain, prompting Governor Bill Lee to order a third-party review and pause the remaining scheduled executions in Tennessee for 2026. Pike was transported to a hospital for treatment after the failed attempt.
Read more »