Krista Pike is in critical condition and receiving life-saving medical care, her lawyers said a day after she survived two doses of lethal injection in the US state of Tennessee. Her exact prognosis is unknown.
“We don't know what her prognosis is and we don't have a lot of new information about her health right now. But we do know that she is alive,“ said attorney Randy Spivey.
Pike was breathing for more than an hour after the injections
Pike was placed on a stretcher in the execution chamber at Riverbend Prison in Nashville around 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 30. She did not die after the first dose of pentobarbital, and the state's protocol called for a second dose.
Witnesses, including journalists from the Associated Press, heard Pike talking and saying that her arm hurt. She then continued to breathe and for more than an hour made sounds described as snoring. At about 9:14 p.m., ambulances and fire trucks arrived outside the prison. Pike was taken to the hospital.
“I am haunted by what I saw and heard - how she talked, sang and then snored“, Spivey said, describing the procedure as cruel and torturous. Lawyers said it was still unclear whether the lack of oxygen could have caused brain damage.
Governor halts executions until end of year
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent investigation and halted scheduled executions in the state until the end of the year. "This is a tragedy and it deeply disturbs me that this has happened in this state. People deserve better and we will make sure that happens," Lee said.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections said officials followed established protocol and that the drug used "has been consistently effective." The department did not say what caused the failure, but confirmed that Pike was transported to a medical facility outside the prison.
Pike, now 50, is on death row for a murder committed in 1995 when she was 18. Her execution was to be the first of a woman in Tennessee in more than two centuries. The failure is the second such case in the state in 2026. In May, authorities suspended the procedure against Toni Carruthers after they were unable to secure intravenous access for the administration of drugs.
Sources: Reuters, The Tennessean