Tennessee prison chief resigns after botched execution of Christa Pike
Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada is stepping down following Wednesday's failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike. Governor Bill Lee has paused all executions in the state for the year and ordered an independent review.
The commissioner of Tennessee's Department of Correction, Frank Strada, is resigning in the wake of a botched execution attempt on death row inmate Christa Pike. Governor Bill Lee announced the resignation on Saturday in a joint statement with Strada.
Strada said his departure is in the best interests of the state and described the ongoing investigation into the incident as entirely appropriate and necessary. Lee praised Strada for serving with integrity and for being willing to put the interests of Tennesseans first during what he called a difficult moment.
What went wrong
Pike, sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer, was given two lethal doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday but survived. She was rushed to a hospital in Nashville by ambulance. Her lawyers said she could be heard crying, whimpering and breathing loudly throughout the procedure. By Thursday night she was unconscious, intubated and on a ventilator, as doctors worked to clear the drugs from her system.
The Department of Correction has defended its protocol, saying it does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out. Authorities have not explained what went wrong, nor said whether another execution attempt will be made. On Friday, Pike's lawyers filed an emergency motion to preserve all evidence related to the failed execution.
Her attorneys had previously warned that her medical history, including a blood-clotting condition and small veins, created a risk of unnecessary pain and suffering during lethal injection.
Legal background
The execution proceeded after several last-minute legal challenges failed, including two separate attempts rejected by the US Supreme Court. Lee had also denied a clemency request. Pike is the only woman on Tennessee's death row. She was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Slemmer in 1995, and was sentenced to death the following year following intense media coverage in Knoxville.
Lee has ordered an independent review of the incident and has halted all executions in Tennessee for the remainder of the year.
