Lawyers representing Christa Pike have responded to the news Tennessee's head of prisons is resigning following her extraordinary botched execution. The death-row prisoner survived two lethal injections and has been left fighting for her life. She was supposed to be put to death on Wednesday evening for the brutal murder of Colleen Slemmer, 19, back in 1995, but she was hospitalised after becoming the first person in the US to undergo such an execution attempt and live.
Prison chief resigns amid execution scrutiny
It was announced today that Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada has quit, a decision he said is "in the best interests" of the state. He called the ongoing investigation into the incident "entirely appropriate and necessary".
Pike's attorneys welcomed Strada's departure, but said it "does nothing to help Christa now." Her four-lawyer team said in a statement: "What happened to her Wednesday reflects a systemic failure that goes far beyond any one person. We hope the governor's call for a full, independent review will expose the profound problems within Tennessee's entire death penalty system."
IV line problems suspected
Her legal team said they believed problems with the IV lines caused the pentobarbital to flow into her body instead of her bloodstream. Strada took over the Correction Department in January 2023 after serving as deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections. In late 2024, he announced that Tennessee was changing its lethal injection protocol and would use only pentobarbital.
Pike was scheduled to be executed at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, where witnesses were present for the administration of the injections. One of her lawyers, Stephen Ferrell, said Pike had "small veins that make insertion of a needle more difficult." The execution went ahead, however, and Pike was given two doses of pentobarbital. Witnesses said she was heard crying, gasping and breathing loudly as her right arm turned purple.
Governor orders independent review
An independent review into the failed execution has been ordered by Tennessee governor Bill Lee. 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."
Departing Strada said in his resignation statement: "Serving as commissioner of the Tennessee department of correction has been a great honor, and I continue to believe the department carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol. I look forward to doing everything I can to help determine exactly what occurred."
