KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 1 (Infinite Headlines) — Tennessee officials halted the execution of Christa Gail Pike on Sept. 30 after two injections of pentobarbital, according to her attorneys, who said she still had a heartbeat. The Tennessee Department of Correction said Pike was taken from Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville to a medical facility.
The department said it followed its established execution protocol and could not carry out further procedures that evening. Pike’s attorneys said they did not know her condition after she was taken for medical care. Officials have not said what caused the execution attempt to fail.
Earlier that day, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit stayed the execution, but the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the stay. Pike was sentenced to death for a 1995 killing. Gov. Bill Lee said he had ordered a third-party review and that Tennessee’s remaining execution scheduled for 2026 would not take place this year.
