Tennessee inmate still alive after being administered two lethal injections
6 hours ago
- The execution of Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's death row, failed after two lethal injections left her still alive, snoring, and with a heartbeat.
- Witnesses reported Pike complaining of pain, kicking her feet, and the execution chamber curtains being lowered twice; Governor Bill Lee ordered a third-party review.
- Pike, convicted for the 1995 murder of a classmate at age 18, was sentenced to death; her lawyers argued she suffered from abuse and PTSD.
- The Supreme Court allowed the execution after a lower court briefly halted it, with three liberal justices dissenting; it was the second botched execution in Tennessee in 2023.
- Pike's attorneys sought clemency citing her traumatic childhood and mental health, but the governor and court declined; she expressed peace in a letter before the attempt.
- The victim's mother, May Martinez, said she wanted to witness the execution for closure and expressed doubt about Pike's redemption.
- An all-female execution team was prepared, and Pike's spiritual adviser described her as showing remorse and redemption despite her crime.