Tennessee execution attempt on Christa Pike prompts independent inquiry
Christa Pike survived a lethal injection in Tennessee after prison staff tried twice to administer the drugs, prompting an independent inquiry into the execution. William Puckett, one of seven media witnesses, said the process had gone badly wrong, while a member of the corrections department appeared close to tears.
Pike, 50, was the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. Her legal team said she was in critical condition receiving lifesaving care; a lawyer who witnessed the procedure reported staff spent an hour trying to establish an IV line and used seven needles in her left arm. Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, and had spent nearly 30 years on death row.
- Christa Pike survived two doses during a botched execution.
- Witnesses reported a prolonged and distressing procedure.
- Tennessee has opened an independent inquiry.
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Christa Pike was convicted in 1995 of killing Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old woman. She was sentenced to death and spent nearly 30 years on death row in Tennessee. Her execution in 2026 made her the first woman executed in the state in more than 200 years.
Lethal injection is the method Tennessee uses to carry out executions, with drugs administered intravenously to cause death. The procedure is supposed to be conducted by trained staff and witnessed by media representatives and legal observers to ensure it is carried out properly.
Pike's execution procedure encountered significant difficulties, with staff requiring around an hour to establish the intravenous line and using multiple needle insertions. These problems have prompted an independent inquiry into whether proper procedures were followed and what went wrong.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “I was an official witness at Christa Pike’s botched execution. Her tears, laughter, disturbing snores and the rock they placed on her chest will haunt me for ever”.