+34
Tennessee's prisons chief, Charles Flanagan, has resigned following the failed execution of Christa Pike in September, which was the second failed execution in the state within four months. The botched execution has led to a pause in the state's death penalty and an independent investigation into the errors.
Tennessee's prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike Ohio truck plant closes, jolting 1,400 workers days before Trump rallyGround GameAP Entertainment WireAstronauts arrive at International Space Station on the quickest US express flight yetVideo of Kamala Harris saying ‘today is today’ was alteredViral phenomenon in Argentina has young people identifying themselves as animalsRaccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floorDoctors warn about the risks energy drinks pose to kids.
What families need to know'Why? Why? Why?
' Ukraine's Mariupol descends into despairEnvironmental groups sue Trump administration over eased vehicle fuel economy rulesFlorida's dengue outbreak is now the largest in the continental US in decadesBeing a night owl may not be great for your heart but you can do something about itWes Moore forms bipartisan governors group on AI, citing federal inactionPope Leo seeks status update of Francis' divisive opening to divorced and remarried CatholicsMéxico endurecerá controles a las redes sociales y exigirá que bajen contenidos violentosTennessee's prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa PikeOhio truck plant closes, jolting 1,400 workers days before Trump rallyGround GameAP Entertainment WireAstronauts arrive at International Space Station on the quickest US express flight yetVideo of Kamala Harris saying ‘today is today’ was alteredViral phenomenon in Argentina has young people identifying themselves as animalsRaccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floorDoctors warn about the risks energy drinks pose to kids.
What families need to know'Why? Why? Why?
' Ukraine's Mariupol descends into despairEnvironmental groups sue Trump administration over eased vehicle fuel economy rulesFlorida's dengue outbreak is now the largest in the continental US in decadesBeing a night owl may not be great for your heart but you can do something about itWes Moore forms bipartisan governors group on AI, citing federal inactionPope Leo seeks status update of Francis' divisive opening to divorced and remarried CatholicsMéxico endurecerá controles a las redes sociales y exigirá que bajen contenidos violentosPhotographs of Colleen Slemmer, who was murdered in 1995, are displayed outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the planned execution of Christa Pike, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.
Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. Photographs of Colleen Slemmer, who was murdered in 1995, are displayed outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the planned execution of Christa Pike, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.
Photographs of Colleen Slemmer, who was murdered in 1995, are displayed outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the planned execution of Christa Pike, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.
Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. followed other death penalty miscues in Tennessee, which performs just a fraction of the nation’s executions but is now halting them for a second time since 2022, reigniting questions over the state’s handling of capital punishment.at a Nashville-area hospital on Friday, according to her attorneys, who say she was poked with needles at least seven times in the state’s death chamber and then hospitalized with burned and blistered arms after being The unsuccessful attempt was the second failed execution in four months in Tennessee.
Since 2022, the state has carried out just four of the more than 140 executions that have taken place nationwide, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Republican Gov. Bill Lee paused executions in the state following the unsuccessful attempt to put Pike to death and ordered an independent investigation into what went wrong, as both critics and supporters of the death penalty called for changes.
“Number one, I think we need to get better people that are doing these executions because I don’t know that they’re trained well enough to be doing this on difficult patients,” said Republican state Sen. Joey Hensley, a family physician, adding that he suspects the IV line was not properly inserted.two lethal doses of pentobarbital , she had blisters on her arms from the bleach-like, caustic substance that was injected into her body, her attorneys wrote in an emergency court filing on Friday.
Pike’s attorneys said they believed problems with the IV lines caused the pentobarbital to flow into her body instead of her bloodstream.
“Apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realize that the IV lines were not correctly placed or that the veins had blown and that the pentobarbital was, in whole or in part, entering Ms. Pike’s body,” they wrote. Pike’s case is not the first time Tennessee’s execution practices have drawn criticism.after medical workers placed an IV into his right arm but couldn’t get a secondary IV line, proceeding to attempt to place one into his other arm, his left hand and his left foot, then finally failing to establish a central line.
Lee ordered officials to wait at least a year before trying to execute Carruthers again. In that time period, Tennessee put seven inmates to death — two by injection and five in the electric chair. The report said that in none of those, nor in the execution Lee halted, did the pharmacy conduct the required test for endotoxins, and in one of the lethal injections, the drug midazolam was not tested for potency.
At the time, the state’s lethal injections were performed through a three-drug series of midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride. The state later switched to using just pentobarbital. The report, conducted by former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton, also found that the state’s unidentified executioner had no formal healthcare training and learned the role mainly through on-the-job experience.
One of Pike’s attorneys, Steve Ferrell, was skeptical of the progress made since those revelations, saying the investigation resulted in “a less detailed protocol and more secrecy. ”It’s not uncommon for executioners to have minimal medical training, according to Corinna Lain, a law professor at the University of Richmond and author of a book on lethal injections. Lain said lethal injection has become more popular because it is considered less gruesome and hides the violence of state killing.
But she said that, even when states follow protocol, the method still poses risks. A number of attorneys have echoed those concerns in lawsuits, arguing that the method is unconstitutional. Lain said she has only found about 10 medically licensed doctors in the entire country who work with states on executions. Doctors she interviewed told her that they believed executions to be contrary to their oath to take care of people..
The identity of execution team members, the details about where and how lethal drugs are procured, and in some states even what happens in the death chamber is hidden from public view.
“Tennessee has botched executions so badly that two people this year have survived their own executions,” Lain said. “That’s quite something. ” Still, experts like Jordan Steiker, the co-director of the Capital Punishment Center at the University of Texas, say that the method is likely to continue to be an option for states with the death penalty.
That is in large part, Steiker said, because of a deferential judicial approach to the execution process, which has consistently empowered states to carry out executions.
“I think it gives states confidence that even if they take shortcuts, it’s unlikely that the courts will intervene in their ability to carry out executions,” Steiker said. Wilder is an Austin-based reporter covering voting, elections and redistricting. She is a Report for America corps member and can be reached atHanna covers U.S. news, including politics and state government. He’s worked for AP in Topeka, Kansas, since 1986 and is a member of the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame.
Scratch the next story
Tennessee Execution Christa Pike Prison Death Penalty
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Governor says Tennessee's prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa PikeThe head of Tennessee’s prison system is resigning after the failed execution of Christa Pike.
Read more »
Tennessee Prison Chief Frank Strada Resigns After Failed Execution of Christa PikeTennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada will step down this month after the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike left her hospitalized on a ventilator. Gov. Bill Lee accepted the resignation and an independent review is underway.
Read more »
Tennessee's prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike: governorThe head of Tennessee’s prison system is resigning after the failed execution of Christa Pike, Gov. Bill Lee announced Saturday.
Read more »
Tennessee prison chief Frank Strada resigns after failed execution of Christa PikeTennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada will step down this month after the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike left her unconscious on a ventilator, prompting an independent review.
Read more »