Tennessee halts executions after death row inmate Christa Pike survives hers
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has halted all state executions for the remainder of the year following a failed lethal injection attempt on death row inmate Christa Pike. An independent third-party review has been ordered to investigate the procedural failures that occurred during the botched execution.
Why it matters
This incident highlights ongoing ethical and procedural controversies surrounding the death penalty and the reliability of lethal injection protocols in the United States.
Image source, Tennessee Department of Correction By Brandon Drenon Published 17 minutes ago Executions in Tennessee have been halted for the rest of the year, Governor Bill Lee has said, after two attempts to execute death row inmate Christa Pike by lethal injection failed.
In a statement to CBS News, the BBC's US partner, Lee said lawful executions were among the state's "most serious responsibilities", adding that he has ordered a third-party review "to determine exactly what occurred".
Tennessee prison officials on Wednesday attempted to administer two lethal doses of pentobarbital to Pike but she survived and was taken to hospital. Her medical condition is unclear.
Pike, 50 was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer.
She was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Slemmer.
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