Tennessee's prison chief has resigned in the wake of the botched execution of death row inmate Christa Pike.
Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada announced he would stand down, stating the decision was in the "best interests" of the state. Pike survived two doses of lethal drugs during the failed execution attempt on Wednesday evening and remains in hospital fighting for her life.
Failed execution and resignation
The 49 year old was scheduled to be executed for the 1995 killing of 19 year old Colleen Slemmer. Had the execution proceeded, Pike would have become the first woman to be executed in Tennessee in over 200 years.
In a statement confirming his resignation, Mr Strada said he believed the department had "carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol".
His departure follows Governor Bill Lee ordering an independent inquiry into what went wrong during the execution, The Mirror reported.
Mr Strada said: "I believe this review is entirely appropriate and necessary, and I look forward to doing everything I can to help determine exactly what occurred."
Pike's condition and legal concerns
Pike has spent approximately three decades on death row following Slemmer's murder, which became notorious as the "Satanic Panic Murder".
Investigators revealed that Pike and her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp tortured the 19 year old before taking her life in 1995. The pair allegedly carved a pentagram into Slemmer's chest, with Pike reportedly keeping a piece of her skull as a trophy.
Court documents submitted by Pike's legal team revealed she remained unconscious and on a ventilator in hospital following the botched execution. As of late Thursday, medical staff were reportedly working to save her life and flush the two doses of pentobarbital administered during the execution from her system.
Pike's lawyer, Stephen Ferrell, had previously voiced concerns regarding her "small veins that make insertion of a needle more difficult".
Witness accounts of the execution
The execution nonetheless proceeded, with Pike receiving two doses of pentobarbital. Those present described harrowing scenes as the drugs were administered.
Pike was heard weeping, gasping and breathing loudly, while witnesses reported that her right arm turned purple. One witness said: "Her mouth fell open a few times, and she began to loudly snore. She gasped a few times."
Pike was also reportedly heard complaining: "My arm feels like it's about to burst open."
She subsequently began snoring despite having received the lethal drugs, with neither dose proving sufficient to stop her heart.
