I've seen nearly 500 executions - but never one like Christa Pike's
Tennessee inmate Christa Pike survived a lethal injection attempt after two doses of pentobarbital failed to end her life. The state has halted executions pending an independent review of its protocols following this rare and botched procedure.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing ethical and procedural controversies surrounding the use of lethal injection and the sourcing of execution drugs in the United States.
Image source, AP By Sheila Flynn Senior US Reporter Published 29 minutes ago Reporter Michael Graczyk has covered nearly 500 executions carried out in Texas, continuing even after his 2018 retirement from The Associated Press.
He remembers two instances where needles popped out before reinsertion for successful execution - but never one in which an inmate survived.
That's what happened this week in Tennessee, when 50-year-old inmate Christa Pike remained breathing and audibly snoring after two separate doses of pentobarbital, the barbiturate used in the state's lethal injection protocol.
Graczyk, 76, says he wasn't entirely surprised to hear of the anomaly - and had actually thought about the possibility during his decades-long career as a Texas journalist.
"It seems to me it was just a matter of time," he told BBC News.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Tennessee administered two lethal doses to execute Christa Pike, but she lived
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‘It was a mess’: Tennessee fails to execute woman after 2 lethal injections - NBC News
Tennessee to execute woman for first time in two centuries
Federal court halts execution of Christa Pike in 11th hour - USA Today
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