Christa Pike surviving her execution was "unparalleled." But it wasn't the first botched lethal injection.
Updated on: October 1, 2026 / 3:05 PM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- Christa Pike, the sole woman on Tennessee's death row, survived a lethal injection attempt after receiving two doses of pentobarbital.
- Her attorneys reported she remained conscious and alive, requiring medical care.
- Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer.
- This botched execution follows a similar incident in May with inmate Tony Carruthers, whose execution was halted due to difficulties establishing an IV line.
- Concerns have been raised by legal teams and human rights groups about the secrecy of execution protocols and the reliability of lethal drugs, with some states reportedly using expired or untested chemicals.
- United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk called for the abolition of the death penalty, citing the prolonged suffering from failed execution attempts and unresolved fair trial questions.
- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered a third-party review of the execution protocol and canceled one further scheduled execution for the year.
- The state has a history of issues with its execution protocol, leading to a pause in executions from 2025 to 2022 and subsequent adjustments to the protocol.
- Advocates against the death penalty have warned about problems with lethal drugs for years, attributing issues to pharmaceutical companies cutting ties with states and the subsequent struggle to acquire drugs.