Tennessee Department of Corrections Chief Resigns After Failed Lethal Injection Execution

A new development took place last week after the failed execution of Christa Pike, the first female prisoner planned to be executed by lethal injection in the US state of Tennessee after nearly 200 years.

According to the statement made by the Tennessee Governor's Office, Tennessee Department of Corrections Chief Frank Strada announced that he will resign from his post after the scandalous incident.

'THE RIGHT TO BE EXECUTED EXTRAORDINALLLY WAS TAKEN AWAY'

Pike, who survived despite receiving two doses of poisonous drugs, had suffered “unnecessary pain,” which violated his “right to be executed free from cruel and unusual punishment,” according to the lawyers.

In a statement shared by the governor's office, Strada said he believed the department was following established protocols, but that leaving his position was in the best interest of the state.

“I believe this investigation is completely appropriate and necessary, and I look forward to doing everything I can to help determine exactly what happened,” Strada said.

'IT REFLECTS A SYSTEMATIC FAILURE'

After the failed execution attempt, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee halted all executions in the state for the rest of the year and ordered an independent review of the incident. Lee said he appreciated Strada's "willingness to put the interests of the people of Tennessee first in this challenging moment."

"Commissioner Strada's resignation is justified, but it does Christa no good right now. What happened to her on Wednesday reflects a systemic failure that goes far beyond a single individual," Pike's lawyers said in a statement on Saturday.

PIKE SURVIVED AFTER TWO DOSES OF POISONIC INJECTIONS

Christa Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for torturing and murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, whom she met with her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, at a training camp for troubled youth in 1995, when she was only 18 years old.

Pike, a 50-year-old murder convict who is the only female prisoner sentenced to death in Tennessee, was wanted to be executed by two lethal injections at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Nashville last Wednesday at 20:00 local time. Pike, who received two doses of lethal injection, survived.

Defense lawyers said, "Ms. Pike lost consciousness, but she still has a pulse and is breathing audibly." Lawyers stated that after the execution failed, Pike was sent to the hospital and taken into intensive care.