Gov. Bill Lee ordered an independent investigation after two injections failed to carry out Pike’s death sentence.
Tennessee has halted its remaining execution scheduled for 2026 after Christa Pike survived a lethal-injection procedure and was hospitalized in critical condition, according to her attorneys.
Officials administered two injections during the September 30 procedure at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Pike remained alive and was taken to a hospital.
Gov. Bill Lee ordered an independent investigation and suspended the execution scheduled for December 3 while officials examine what went wrong.
Pike was convicted of murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995, when Pike was 18. She is the only woman on Tennessee’s death row.
Her attorneys described the procedure as chemical torture and renewed their request that her sentence be commuted to life imprisonment.
Questions remain about how the drugs were administered and whether Pike’s medical condition contributed to the failure. Her lawyers have said they do not yet know her prognosis.
The state’s review has not produced a final explanation. The failed procedure and temporary suspension do not overturn Pike’s conviction or automatically change her sentence.
