Tennessee officials are unable to complete the lethal injection execution of death row inmate Christa Gail Pike on Wednesday after she remains alive following the administration of two doses of lethal drugs, according to her legal team. Lawyers told the Tennessee Supreme Court that witnesses reported Pike received pentobarbital at about 8:26 p.m. but was still alive afterward.
Several outlets report that prison witnesses said Pike was still alive when officials ordered them to leave. Multiple accounts describe Pike being taken to a hospital by ambulance after the failed execution attempt; her lawyers say she was audibly responsive. One report says she was still “snoring,” and another notes she was taken to hospital while still alive.
Other reporting adds that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee halts the remaining executions for the year following the incident. Sources also note Pike is convicted for a 1995 murder and that she was scheduled for execution on Wednesday. While details of her observed condition vary by outlet, all accounts describe the same central event: the lethal injection does not result in her death as the first phase of the procedure proceeds.
