Tennessee's second execution fails... Defense lawyers claim 'system failure'

Aftereffects from the second failure this year... Lawyers for death row inmates say, “The system is a failure.”

(Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Lee Yu-mi = Amid widespread criticism surrounding the recent failed execution of the death penalty in Tennessee, the head of the state corrections agency in charge of executions finally decided to resign.

According to the New York Times (NYT) and the Washington Post (WP) on the 3rd (local time), Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that State Corrections Director Frank Strada will step down from his position at the end of this month.

On the 30th of last month, the execution of Christa Pike (50), a death row inmate sentenced to death for murder, was carried out in Tennessee, but failed. Pike was administered execution drugs twice, but controversy arose as he did not die.

Pike's lawyers said that Pike had to suffer needlessly during the execution process, which violated his right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment.

Governor Lee has decided to halt all executions in Tennessee for the remainder of the year and launch an independent investigation into the case.

This year, two execution failures occurred in Tennessee, raising questions about Director Strada's responsibility.

Earlier this year, an attempt to execute another death row inmate in Tennessee failed because medical staff failed to properly insert an intravenous tube.

Director Strada maintained that the Department of Corrections followed established procedures, but said it was in the interests of Tennessee residents to step aside while an independent investigation was conducted.

Pike's lawyers argued that Director Strada's resignation was "justifiable, but does not help Christa at this time," and that "what happened to her demonstrates a failure of the system that goes far beyond any one individual."

As of the evening of the 1st, Pike was unconscious and dependent on a respirator, and suffered burns and blisters on both arms due to the failed execution, his defense team said in documents submitted to the court.

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colin Slemmer with her boyfriend at the age of 18.