Christa Pike’s failed execution is Tennessee’s second unsuccessful execution of 2026.

Posted by hoangduc - October 14, 2026

The failed execution of Christa Pike has renewed scrutiny of Tennessee’s death penalty procedures and added to a history of problems involving the state’s lethal injection protocol.

Pike was scheduled to be killed by lethal injection at 10 a.m. Sept. 30 at Riverbend Maximum Security Insтιтution in Nashville. The procedure was not successful and she received medical care following an execution attempt, according to a court filing.

Her attorneys reported she was still breathing after receiving two doses of lethal pentobarbital.

Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville.

As previously reported by The Tennessean, Tennessee officials have acknowledged issues during past executions, and the state previously overhauled its protocol after years of complications and legal challenges.

Here’s what else to know.

What we know about Christa Pike’s condition after failed execution

What happened during the failed execution of Christa Pike?

Pike was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Sept. 30, but the execution did not proceed as planned, prompting Gov. Bill Lee to order a review of the state’s procedures. The governor also paused another execution while the review is being conducted.

According to Pike’s attorneys, she was administered two doses of pentobarbital but was alive. “Ms. Pike has not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring,” they wrote.

During a news conference, an ambulance and other first responders pulled up to front of Riverbend Maximum Security Insтιтution interrupting media witnesses.

Christa Pike is conscious after Tennessee failed execution, her attorneys say - POLITICO

Christa Pike’s failed execution is not the first in Tennessee in 2026

The latest incident adds to longstanding concerns about the reliability of Tennessee’s execution process and whether existing safeguards are adequate.

In May, execution personnel repeatedly tried to establish IV access for death row prisoner Tony Carruthers but could not establish the second line required under the state’s protocol. Dr. Mark Fowler then unsuccessfully attempted to place a central line.

Fowler had not placed a central line in at least 13 years, according to his deposition in litigation over Tennessee’s execution procedures. Fowler testified that he had placed about a dozen central lines during his career and had no current hospital privileges.

Christa Pike 'angry and confused' about Tennessee's failed execution effort, lawyers say - CNA

After Carruthers spent more than an hour strapped to the execution gurney, the state abandoned the execution. He was given a one-year reprieve.

On Aug. 5, 2025, Tennessee executed Byron Black, 69, by lethal injection. Black appeared to be in pain as pentobarbital flowed through his veins, according to a Tennessean reporter who witnessed the execution. Black’s attorneys later said an electrocardiogram showed cardiac activity continued for nearly two minutes after prison officials pronounced him ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.

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✓ hoangduc

The failed execution of Christa Pike has renewed scrutiny of Tennessee’s death penalty procedures and added to a history of problems involving the state’s lethal injection protocol….

Christa Pike’s failed execution is Tennessee’s second unsuccessful execution of 2026.

✓ hoangduc

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