TN governor halts executions after female inmate survives two lethal injections

On Wednesday, they state of Tennessee attempted to put convicted murderer Christa Gail Pike, 51, to death at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Pike was administered two syringes of pentobarbital, a powerful barbiturate that suppresses the central nervous system.

During her execution, the curtains were drawn twice so that witnesses could not see what was going on. However, witnesses heard Pike complaining of pain, including saying she felt like her arm was going to burst. Afterwards she could be heard snoring loudly, a sign that the suppression of the central nervous system was not sufficient to cause death.

About 50 minutes after the injection protocol began, Pike was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. According to her lawyers, she is still alive a day later, but other details about her condition are unknown.

Pike was convicted of the brutal 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, 19. Pike herself was 18 at the time. Her co-conspirator, Tadaryl Shipp, was 17, and was sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole. The murder caused a media sensation at the time because Shipp (as he admitted post-conviction) carved a pentagram into Slemmer’s chest during the attack.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has temporarily halted executions following the debacle with Pike. Lee previously halted executions between 2022 and 2025 after it was revealed that the state had failed to properly test the drugs used in its execution protocol.