Christa Pike, a convicted murderer, remains hospitalized in critical condition after a failed attempt by the state of Tennessee to execute her via lethal injection on Wednesday. Her attorneys stated that Pike is currently unconscious, intubated, and receiving breathing assistance from a ventilator. Medical staff are working to save her life and clear two doses of the lethal drug pentobarbital from her system.
Pike was convicted of killing her 19-year-old classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in 1995 when Pike was 18 at a job training camp for young people. Had the execution been successful, she would have been the first woman put to death in Tennessee in more than 200 years. She is believed to be the first person to survive the administration of lethal drugs in the modern era.
In a court filing, Pike's legal team alleged that Tennessee officials failed to follow their own lethal injection protocol. This incident marks the state's second botched execution this year. In response, Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent review and halted all further executions for the remainder of 2026.
The failure in the execution chamber has reignited a furious debate regarding the death penalty in the United States, leaving both sides of the issue demanding answers.