In short
- Christa Pike, 50, the only woman on death row in Tennessee, was given both doses of pentobarbital set out in the state protocol at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
- Witnesses said Pike was still breathing and could be heard snoring nearly an hour after the drugs were administered, and she was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
- Pike was convicted of the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville in January 1995, when Pike was 18.
- Had the execution been completed, it would have been the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in more than two centuries.
- The Death Penalty Information Center says seven of the twenty execution attempts carried out in the United States in 2022 had visible problems.
Christa Pike, 50, the only woman on death row in Tennessee, survived a lethal injection attempt at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Wednesday and remains in critical condition in hospital, her lawyers said. Her defence has asked Governor Bill Lee to commute her sentence.
What happened during the execution attempt?
Pike was given both doses of pentobarbital set out in the state protocol — two 50-millilitre syringes — at the Nashville prison. Witnesses said she was still breathing and could be heard snoring nearly an hour later, when they were escorted out of the room. She was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Randy Spivey of the Tennessee Office of the Post-Conviction Defender said on Thursday: “Christa is alive right now. We don’t have a sense of her prognosis, but we do know that she is alive and receiving life-saving medical care.”
What does the state say about the procedure?
The Tennessee Department of Correction said “every step of the state’s lawful and established execution protocol” approved by the Attorney General’s office had been followed. It did not explain why the procedure was not completed and gave no details of Pike’s condition.
Pike’s defence alleged difficult vein access, blown veins, degraded pentobarbital and a lack of emergency medical care, and criticised the secrecy of the protocol. Joel Zivot, a professor at Emory University’s School of Medicine and an adviser to Pike’s legal team, told the BBC the drug probably never reached a sufficient level in her blood and that she was likely to suffer brain injury. The rights group Foro Penal has separately documented Venezuela freeing political prisoners.
Who was Christa Pike convicted of killing?
Pike was convicted of the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville in January 1995, when Pike was 18. The victim’s family has demanded answers following the failed procedure. Had it been completed, it would have been the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in more than two centuries.
Why had Tennessee paused executions?
The state adopted its single-drug protocol after a three-year pause. Governor Bill Lee halted executions in 2022 when an investigation found prison officials had not followed their own drug-testing rules; they resumed in 2025.
In January 2025, then US Attorney General Merrick Garland withdrew the federal pentobarbital-based protocol, citing the risk of unnecessary pain and suffering. The State Department has separately obligated $176.9m of its rights fund to 43 awards.
In January 2026, Pike sued the state, arguing that a blood disorder made the method unconstitutionally cruel in her case; a judge declined in August to block the execution. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, seven of the twenty execution attempts carried out in the United States in 2022 had visible problems.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to Christa Pike in Tennessee?
Christa Pike, 50, survived a lethal injection attempt at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Wednesday and remained in critical condition in hospital, according to her lawyers.
How many doses of pentobarbital was Christa Pike given?
Pike received both doses set out in Tennessee’s protocol: two 50-millilitre syringes of pentobarbital.
When was Christa Pike convicted?
Pike was convicted of the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville in January 1995, when Pike was 18.
Has Tennessee ever executed a woman?
If completed, Pike’s execution would have been the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in more than two centuries.
With reporting from en.mercopress.com.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
