In short
- Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada is resigning after the failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike, Governor Bill Lee announced on Saturday.
- Christa Pike survived two lethal doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday and was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Nashville, where she was unconscious, intubated and on a ventilator as of Thursday night.
- Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is the only woman on the state’s death row.
- Bill Lee halted all executions in Tennessee for the year and ordered an independent review into the attempted execution.
- The US Supreme Court rejected two separate last-minute efforts to stop Pike’s lethal injection.
Frank Strada, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction, is resigning after the failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike, Governor Bill Lee announced on Saturday. Pike survived two lethal injections of pentobarbital on Wednesday and remains in critical condition at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.
Who is resigning, and why?
Bill Lee, the governor of Tennessee, announced Frank Strada’s departure in a joint statement with the commissioner on Saturday. Strada said his decision to step down was “in the best interests” of the state, and he called the ongoing investigation into the incident “entirely appropriate and necessary”.
Lee said: “Commissioner Strada has served with integrity, and I appreciate his willingness to put the interests of Tennesseans first during this difficult moment.” The governor has ordered an independent review into Pike’s attempted execution and halted all executions in the state for the year.
What happened during Christa Pike’s execution?
Christa Pike was injected with two lethal doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday at a Tennessee prison but remained alive. She was then taken to hospital by ambulance, where doctors are attempting to clear the execution drugs from her body, according to legal filings. Her lawyers said that while she received the two doses, “she could be heard crying, whimpering, and breathing loudly throughout the procedure”. By Thursday night she was unconscious, intubated and on a ventilator, her lawyers said.
What has the Tennessee Department of Correction said?
The attempted execution, which failed after two injections of pentobarbital, has been defended by the state’s Department of Correction, which said “the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out”. Authorities have not yet said whether they will try again to execute Pike, and have not offered an explanation for what went wrong. Pike’s lawyers filed an emergency motion on Friday to preserve “any and all evidence” related to the failed execution.
What happens to Christa Pike now?
Pike’s legal team called the resignation “justified” but said it “does nothing to help Christa now”. In a statement, the attorneys wrote: “What happened to her Wednesday reflects a systemic failure that goes far beyond any one person.” They said they hoped Lee’s call for a full, independent review would “expose the profound problems within Tennessee’s entire death penalty system”.
Why was Christa Pike on death row?
Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer. She was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Slemmer in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1995, and she was sentenced the following year. She is the only woman on the state’s death row.
Her attorneys had previously warned that her medical history and anatomy, including thrombocytosis, a blood-clotting condition, and small veins, meant there was a risk she would experience “unnecessary” pain and suffering during a lethal injection. The attempted execution went ahead after the US Supreme Court rejected two separate last-minute efforts to stop it, and Lee denied a clemency request from Pike.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Tennessee’s prisons chief resigning?
Frank Strada, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction, said stepping down was “in the best interests” of the state after Christa Pike’s execution failed on Wednesday. Governor Bill Lee announced the resignation on Saturday and ordered an independent review.
What happened to Christa Pike during her execution?
She was injected with two lethal doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday but remained alive and was taken to a hospital in Nashville. As of Thursday night she was unconscious, intubated and on a ventilator.
Will Tennessee carry out more executions?
Bill Lee has halted all executions in Tennessee for the year and ordered an independent review of the attempted execution of Christa Pike. Authorities have not said whether they will try again to execute her.
Why was Christa Pike sentenced to death?
She was sentenced in 1996 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, who was beaten, tortured and killed in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1995. Pike was 18 at the time and is the only woman on Tennessee’s death row.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)