Tennessee failed to carry out the execution of Christa Gail Pike on Wednesday after two doses of pentobarbital left her alive and audibly snoring. The state said she was taken to an off-site medical facility. Her lawyers said she was receiving life-saving care.
Pike, 50, is the only woman on Tennessee’s death row. The attempt at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville would have been the first execution of a woman in the state in more than 200 years.
This is a Tennessee case. It does not change Ohio law.
What happened Wednesday night
Pike was scheduled to be executed Wednesday evening. A federal appeals court issued a late stay. The U.S. Supreme Court then allowed the lethal injection to proceed.
The state used pentobarbital, the single drug in Tennessee’s protocol. Her attorneys said in an emergency filing that both syringes were injected, that she had not lost consciousness, and that she still had a heartbeat. Associated Press witnesses reported that she could be heard snoring. Media were escorted out at about 8:53 p.m. local time while she was still breathing behind a closed curtain.
The Tennessee Department of Correction said the execution team followed the protocol approved by the attorney general’s office. The department said the chemical “has consistently been effective” and that the protocol “does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out this evening.” Pike was then transported to an off-site medical facility.
One of her lawyers told the BBC she was “being provided life-saving measures” in hospital. Her condition had not been publicly confirmed as of Thursday morning. A physician retained by the defense told the BBC it was “very possible” that a delay in resuscitation could cause a brain injury. That is an expert opinion, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Witnesses said she asked if the burning was normal
Reports that Pike spoke during the attempt come from journalists who were present, not from an unverified social media claim.
WSMV reported that witnesses heard her say, “The vein in my arm feels like it’s about to bust.” WKRN reporter Tori Gessner said Pike at one point said, “My arm feels like it’s about to burst open.” Another media witness said she described a spot that was burning and hurting and asked if that was normal. Fox News, citing witnesses, reported that she raised her head and asked whether her arm was supposed to feel that way.
Her lawyers argued in court that the attempt was causing “unnecessary agony.”
Before the drugs were administered, witnesses reported that Pike said she was at peace.
Why she was on death row
Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. Pike was 18 at the time. She and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, attacked Slemmer, a fellow student at a Job Corps program. Court records describe a prolonged beating and stabbing. Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, later called Wednesday’s events “a mess.”
Governor Bill Lee ordered “a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred.” He also said the last remaining execution scheduled in Tennessee this year will not go ahead as planned. The state has not said whether it will seek another execution date for Pike.
Ohio still has the death penalty, but has not used it since 2018
Ohio still authorizes the death penalty for aggravated murder. It has not carried out an execution since July 18, 2018, when Robert Van Hook was put to death by lethal injection.
Governor Mike DeWine has postponed executions since taking office, citing the state’s inability to obtain lethal injection drugs without affecting other medical supplies. On June 16, 2026, he urged lawmakers to abolish the penalty and said it is no longer a credible deterrent. In August 2026 he again delayed three execution dates, this time into 2030. Lethal injection remains Ohio’s only authorized method.
Send a tip or correction to info@heritageheadlines.com, or use the contact page.
