Tennessee governor suspends executions after Christa Pike’s failed lethal injection

Tennessee governor Bill Lee suspended all executions in the state until at least the end of the year after an attempt to execute Christa Pike failed. He called the incident “deeply disturbing” and ordered an independent inquiry.

Pike, 50, remained in critical condition in hospital after receiving two doses of pentobarbital. Her attorney Randy Spivey said she was alive and receiving life-saving care, but that her prognosis was unknown.

Seven needles and a second dose

Spivey said officials used seven needles during the procedure, one of which was bent when removed. He called the attempt cruel and said he had not seen medical care provided after it was halted at about 8:25 p.m.

Tennessee corrections spokeswoman Dorinda Carter said the department followed every step of the approved protocol. The AP reported that the protocol calls for a second set of drugs if a prisoner is not dead after the first, but does not specify what happens if the person remains alive after the second dose.

State and legislative inquiries

Lee said he had not yet chosen the person who would lead the comprehensive review. Tennessee House speaker Cameron Sexton said lawmakers would also investigate the failure and consider alternatives, including changing the drugs and potentially adding potassium chloride.

Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center said the group knew of seven cases in which people survived medical problems caused by difficulty accessing a vein during executions. However, she said it knew of no other case in which someone survived after receiving the execution drugs.

Christa Pike’s case

Pike was sentenced to death for the January 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Pike was 18 at the time; she and her 17-year-old boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, tortured and killed their classmate with another female friend.

The execution went ahead after the US supreme court lifted a federal court stay that had been issued to assess whether Pike’s claims of childhood sexual abuse were properly considered at her 1996 sentencing. Her clemency requests were rejected by Lee and the US supreme court.

The suspension also affects Gary Wayne Sutton’s execution, scheduled for 3 December. Sutton has been on death row since 1996 for murdering a friend.