Execution of death row inmate Christa Pike failed in the USA

It was noted that although death row inmate Christa Pike was given two doses of lethal medication in the US state of Tennessee, the execution could not be carried out. Pike's lawyers stated that two syringes of "pentobarbital" were administered for the execution of their client's death sentence at the Riverbend High Security Prison in the city of Nashville.

Despite this, the lawyers stated that their client did not completely lose consciousness and his heart continued to beat. Journalists who watched the execution reported that the process took longer than normal, that Pike showed signs of life such as breathing and snoring despite the injections, and that the curtain showing the execution room was closed several times. Pike was later sent to a health facility outside the prison.

Witnesses in the execution chamber left the Riverband High Security Institution after Pike's execution was halted.

ALL EXECUTIONS HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED

While Tennessee Governor Bill Lee ordered the incident to be examined, executions planned for the rest of the year in the state were also stopped during the investigation.

Pike was convicted of murdering classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995 and sentenced to death.