Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike remained alive after authorities administered two doses of pentobarbital in an unsuccessful attempt to execute her on Wednesday, September 30.
Pike, 50, was scheduled to be executed at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She was later taken by ambulance to an off-site medical facility after the execution attempt. Her current medical condition has not been publicly disclosed.
Pike’s lawyers said she remained alive after both doses and could be heard breathing and snoring from the execution chamber. Media witnesses also reported hearing snoring before they were escorted from the viewing area.
The execution had been temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court shortly before it was due to begin. The US Supreme Court later vacated the stay, clearing the way for Tennessee to proceed with the execution before Pike’s warrant expired at midnight.
Tennessee’s Department of Correction said officials followed the state’s established execution protocol. The department said the protocol does not allow additional procedures beyond those carried out during Wednesday’s attempt.
The protocol provides for a second set of syringes if an inmate is not deceased after the first set. However, it does not clearly state what authorities should do if an inmate remains alive after the second dose, according to Associated Press reporting.
Authorities have not publicly established why the pentobarbital failed to cause Pike’s death. Dr Joel Zivot, a professor at Emory University School of Medicine and a medical expert retained by Pike’s legal team, has suggested that Pike may not have reached a sufficient concentration of the drug in her bloodstream to cause respiratory and cardiovascular failure.
The failed execution prompted Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to halt the state’s remaining scheduled execution for 2026 and order a third-party review of what happened. The review is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the failed procedure and whether changes are needed to the state’s execution process.
The incident is the second failed execution attempt in Tennessee this year. In May, officials abandoned the lethal injection of Tony Joe Carruthers after they were unable to establish an intravenous line despite repeated attempts.
Pike was 18 when Slemmer was killed at a job-training facility in Knoxville. Pike was convicted alongside her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, and sentenced to death.
The latest incident has renewed scrutiny of Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol, particularly the procedures available when an execution does not result in death. The outcome of the state-ordered review is expected to determine what happens next for Tennessee’s execution process and Pike’s case.
