Updated 2h ago · Crime

Christa Pike Discharged After Botched Execution, Attorneys Say

Christa Pike was discharged from the hospital and returned to prison, her attorneys said Saturday. She survived Tennessee's Sept. 30 attempt to execute her by lethal injection.

2 doses of pentobarbital failed to kill her on Sept. 30.
30 years: her time at the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center.
She was sentenced to death for killing classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995.
Her attorneys said she thanked first responders and her medical team.

Why it matters: The Death Penalty Information Center says Pike is the first person to survive lethal injection drugs during an execution. No official explanation for her survival has been given.

Gov. Bill Lee paused Tennessee executions for the rest of the year.
Tennessee's top prison official has announced his resignation.

How 44 sources split on this story

Source landscape

Factuality

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Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right

Political Bias

Coverage by lean% of 44 sources

44 sources · 46 articles · 41% Center coverage

Where they split: Witnesses said the procedure was abnormal, while state officials say they followed every step of the approved protocol.

Center coverage, 18 sources: The center focuses on Pike's survival and return to prison, noting questions about Tennessee's lethal injection procedures.

Left coverage, 13 sources: The left frames the case as a state failure, citing Pike's pain, her lawyers' earlier warnings about her veins and mounting criticism of the death penalty.

The Guardian5hChrista Pike out of hospital and back in prison after botched execution attempt The Independent6hChrista Pike: Death row inmate discharged from hospital after botched execution ABC News7hChrista Pike released from hospital following botched execution Al Jazeera5hChrista Pike discharged from hospital and returned to Tennessee prison CBS News7hChrista Pike released from hospital, back in prison following botched execution in Tennessee, lawyers say Cleveland.com4hChrista Pike discharged from hospital, attorney says CNN6hChrista Pike, who survived an execution attempt, is discharged from hospital, attorney says Los Angeles Times7hChrista Pike, who survived botched execution attempt, discharged from hospital Mediaite6hJust In: Christa Pike Released From Hospital Following Botched Execution Attempt Political Wire5hChrista Pike Out of Hospital and Back in Prison The Boston Globe3hChrista Pike discharged from hospital after surviving execution attempt The New York Times7hChrista Pike Discharged From Hospital After Surviving Execution Attempt The Washington Post6hChrista Pike discharged from hospital, 10 days after failed execution attempt

Right coverage, 13 sources: The right treats it as a brief update on a convicted murderer's discharge after officials mishandled her execution.

Daily Mail7hChrista Pike is discharged from hospital after surviving botched execution attempt Breitbart News5hLawyers: Murderer Christa Pike Released from Hospital After Failed Execution Fox News3hChrista Pike discharged from hospital, returned to prison after botched execution, attorneys say Just the News22hChrista Pike moves back to prison: report National Post5hU.S. lethal injection survivor returns to prison New York Post7hChrista Pike discharged from hospital after botched execution: lawyers Newsmax7hChrista Pike Discharged From Hospital After Botched Execution The Center Square7hChrista Pike out of the hospital, her attorneys say The Daily Wire22hChrista Pike Discharged From Hospital After Failed Execution The Gateway Pundit6hJUST IN: Christa Pike Discharged from Hospital and Moved Back to Prison After Botched Execution * The Gateway Pundit * by Cristina Laila The Sun7hDeath row killer Christa Pike discharged from hospital and taken back to prison 10 days after botched execution The Washington Times6hChrista Pike is discharged from a hospital after surviving execution attempt, her attorneys say Washington Examiner5hPike discarged from hospital after botched Tennessee execution

What’s next: Pike remains under medical care at the prison, and her attorneys say they will track her recovery.

A judge ordered the Department of Correction to preserve all execution evidence.
Why did two doses of pentobarbital fail to kill Pike?
Will Tennessee attempt to execute Pike again?
Will the state change its lethal injection protocol before executions resume?