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[CRIME] · United States · 75 sources

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Christa Pike survives botched Tennessee execution attempt

Christa Pike, a death row inmate in Tennessee, survived a lethal injection attempt on September 30 after being administered two doses of pentobarbital. Pike, 50, was convicted for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer.

Newly released 911 dispatch recordings reveal significant confusion and a nearly 30-minute delay in emergency medical response. Dispatchers initially treated the emergency call from Riverbend Maximum Security Institution as a prank because the caller could not provide a required security code. One recording from 9:03 p.m. shows a dispatcher stating, “Per supervisors here at the DEC, we have been informed it is a false call.” Emergency responders were only permitted to enter the prison after officials confirmed the emergency at 9:11 p.m. and legal counsel intervened.

Pike's legal team suggests the failure may have occurred because the pentobarbital spread under her skin rather than entering her bloodstream. Following the incident, Pike was hospitalized in critical condition, suffering from pneumonia, swelling, and a blood clot. She has since been discharged and returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center.

Entities

Christa Pike · Colleen Slemmer · Deborah Denno · Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center · Fordham University School of Law · Riverbend Maximum Security Institution · Tennessee · Tennessee Department of Correction · Tennessee Department of Corrections

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