Christa Pike botched execution: How lethal injection is used in death penalty

Christa Gail Pike , now 50 years old, was convicted of the murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer when she was just 18. She was scheduled for execution in Tennessee, which has also garnered significant attention, since this would have been the state’s first execution of a woman in at least 200 years.

However, Pike miraculously survived the lethal execution attempt even after administering two doses of pentobarbital.

Pentobarbital is a barbiturate (anaesthetic) used in lethal injection protocols in several U.S. states, including Tennessee. The drug is intended to induce unconsciousness, followed by paralysis and cardiac arrest, which then leads to death. The procedure typically involves administering a three-drug cocktail, but some states have opted to use pentobarbital as the sole agent for execution.