Tennessee execution halted after inmate survives two lethal doses
Christa Gail Pike, 50, was taken to a hospital alive after prison staff administered pentobarbital twice and she continued gasping for nearly an hour.
KEY POINTS
- Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Gail Pike, 50, for a 1995 murder.
- Two doses of pentobarbital were administered starting at 7:46 p.m.
- Witnesses heard Pike gasping for nearly an hour after the first dose.
- The execution was halted; Pike was taken to a hospital alive.
- This would have been the state's first female execution in 200+ years.
Tennessee prison officials attempted to execute Christa Gail Pike on Wednesday for a 1995 murder committed when she was 18. The U.S. Supreme Court lifted a stay about one hour before the scheduled time, allowing the procedure to proceed.
Staff administered two doses of pentobarbital starting at 7:46 p.m. Witnesses reported hearing Pike gasp loudly after the curtain reopened three minutes later. The microphone was cut at 8:53 p.m. and journalists were told to leave.
“She was gasping loudly.”
A corrections spokesperson could not immediately explain what had occurred. Emergency vehicles were seen entering and leaving the facility. Pike's attorneys later confirmed she had been transported to a hospital where doctors were working to keep her alive.
If carried out, the execution would have been the first of a woman in Tennessee in at least 200 years. Pike's legal team had filed last-minute appeals challenging the protocol.
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