Tennessee execution of Christa Pike fails after two injections

Tennessee’s attempt to execute Christa Pike, 50, failed after two doses of the drug pentobarbital were administered at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Wednesday evening, her lawyer said. Pike was taken to hospital, where an attorney told the BBC she was “being provided life-saving measures”.

How did the attempted execution unfold?

The attempted execution began at about 20:00 local time (01:00 GMT on Thursday). The AP news agency reported that the curtain in the witness room was closed twice and that media were at some point asked to leave. Tennessee’s protocol provides for a secondary set of drug syringes if the prisoner does not die after the first set, but it does not say what happens if the subject is alive after the second set.

What have Christa Pike’s lawyers said?

Her legal team filed an emergency motion to halt the execution as it was taking place, saying: “Ms Pike has lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring.” In a statement to the Tennessean newspaper, the team said: “Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution.”

What has Tennessee said?

Tennessee Department of Correction spokesperson Dorinda Carter told the Tennessean that the department “followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office”. She said the chemical had consistently been effective and that the protocol allows no additional procedures. Governor Bill Lee said he had ordered “a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred” and that the state’s last remaining execution of 2026 would not go ahead as planned.

Why was Christa Pike on death row?

Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed Slemmer. Pike is the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, and her clemency request was denied this week. In her petition, Pike said she intended to beat Slemmer, not kill her, but was unable to “put the brakes on”. Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, told NBC News after Wednesday’s events: “It was a mess.”

How did the courts rule?

The US Supreme Court overturned a reprieve granted by a lower court earlier on Wednesday, allowing the lethal injections to go ahead. The Supreme Court had previously dismissed an appeal by Pike’s lawyers, who argued that the jury that sentenced her in 1996 never got to weigh mitigating evidence of her documented history of childhood sexual abuse. District Judge Clifton L Corker later issued a ruling noting that medical personnel had begun to administer care.

What has a medical expert said?

Dr Joel Zivot, a professor at Emory University School of Medicine who told the BBC he had been retained by Pike’s legal team, said she likely never reached a sufficient blood level of pentobarbital to cause apnoea and cardiovascular failure. “It’s very possible that as a consequence of the delay of the beginning of resuscitation she will have a brain injury,” Zivot said.

Have there been other problems with executions in Tennessee?

In May 2026, the execution of Tony Carruthers, convicted of kidnapping and murdering three people in 1994, was postponed after Tennessee staff were unable to find a vein to administer a lethal drug.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Christa Pike?

Christa Pike, 50, is the only woman on Tennessee’s death row. She was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.

What happened during Christa Pike’s execution attempt?

Two doses of the drug pentobarbital were administered at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Wednesday evening, but Pike survived and was taken to hospital. Her lawyers filed an emergency motion to halt the execution while it was taking place.

What did Tennessee Governor Bill Lee say?

Bill Lee said he had ordered a comprehensive third-party review to determine exactly what occurred, and that the state’s last remaining execution of 2026 would not go ahead as planned.

Has Tennessee had other disrupted executions?

Yes. The execution of Tony Carruthers, convicted of kidnapping and murdering three people in 1994, was postponed in May after staff were unable to find a vein to administer a lethal drug.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)