[REVISION HISTORY]

Tennessee investigates botched execution of Christa Pike

Updated 155 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-13 21:34 UTC → 2026-10-14 17:11 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, remains in a delicate medical state following a botched lethal injection attempt on September 30, 2026. Pike, convicted of the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, survived the administration of two doses of pentobarbital totaling 10 grams at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Pike’s attorneys allege that improper intravenous placement caused the caustic drug to seep into surrounding tissues instead of her bloodstream, resulting in severe injuries to her arms, including burns, blisters, and swelling. She has also suffered complications including a blood clot and pneumonia. Newly released 911 dispatch recordings reveal that emergency assistance was delayed by approximately 30 minutes. The first emergency call was placed at 8:40 p.m., but dispatchers initially treated the request for an ambulance as a false alarm because the caller could not provide a required verification code. At One recording from 9:03 ~~p.m.,~~ p.m. shows a dispatcher ~~stated that no medical assistance was needed, even~~ stating, ‘Per supervisors here at the DEC, we have been informed it is a false call.’ Even as responders reported that individuals at the prison gate were insisting the emergency was real and demanding ~~entry. Officials~~ entry, officials did not confirm the legitimacy of the request until 9:11 p.m. While earlier reports indicated she was unconscious and intubated, Pike has since regained consciousness and is able to walk with assistance, though her legal team reports she has no memory of the attempt and continues to suffer from cognitive confusion. As of October 10, Pike has been discharged from a Nashville hospital and returned to the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center. Following the incident, Commissioner Frank Strada resigned and Governor Bill Lee suspended all scheduled executions for the remainder of 2026.

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