KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 1 (Infinite Headlines) — Tennessee officials halted the execution of Christa Gail Pike at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Sept. 30. The Department of Correction said its execution protocol did not permit further procedures that night.
Pike’s attorneys said officials administered two syringes of pentobarbital and that she still had a heartbeat. The department said Pike was taken to a medical facility. Her attorneys said they did not know her condition.
The department said it followed its established protocol. It has not said what caused the execution attempt to fail. Gov. Bill Lee ordered a third-party review and said the remaining execution scheduled in Tennessee for 2026 would not take place that year.
Earlier on Sept. 30, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit stayed Pike’s execution. The U.S. Supreme Court later lifted the stay. Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer.
