Christa Pike execution: Two lethal doses, but she survived. What’s next?

Express InfoGenIE · Investigation

Christa Pike execution: What went wrong?

Tennessee administered two sets of lethal-injection drugs. Pike survived. Here is what is known, what is claimed, and what is still unanswered.

KEY:EstablishedWitness accountsPike’s lawyers · claimState’s position

01

What happened?

SEPTEMBER 30, 2026

Christa Pike was scheduled to be executed in Tennessee.

50

Age of the death-row inmate

1995

Convicted of the murder of Colleen Slemmer

200+ yrs

First woman Tennessee planned to execute in more than two centuries

Then the execution failed.

A vial of pentobarbital, the drug used in Tennessee’s protocol. This file photo was filed in a federal court case in 2020 and is not from Pike’s execution.

Photo: Department of Justice via AP, File

02

Two doses, but Pike survived

Dose 1

Pentobarbital administered

→

Still alive

Pike remained alive

→

Dose 2

Another set of drugs administered

→

Still alive

Heartbeat; not unconscious

2 DOSES — STILL ALIVE

Heartbeat continued after both doses

Established

Pike still had a heartbeat and had not lost consciousness after the two doses, according to a court filing reported by CBS News.

Source: CBS News, US Supreme Court filings

03

What witnesses heard

MEDIA WITNESS ACCOUNTS

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Witness accounts

Pike continued breathing

Witness accounts

Witnesses reported hearing her snore

Established

Witnesses were eventually ordered to leave

Established

She was later taken to an off-site medical facility

“Loudly snoring”

How witnesses described Pike when they were asked to leave the area, as reported by CBS News

Source: CBS News, AP

04

Was IV access a problem?

IV access?

CONCERNS RAISED BEFORE THE EXECUTION

Pike’s lawyers · claim

Thrombocytosis, a condition involving a high platelet count

Pike’s lawyers · claim

Small, compromised veins

Pike’s lawyers · claim

A history of difficult blood draws

Pike’s lawyers · claim

Her lawyers also alleged problems with IV access during the execution

CLAIM BY PIKE’S LAWYERS — CAUSE NOT YET ESTABLISHED

Source: US Supreme Court filings by Pike’s lawyers, CBS News

05

What does the execution protocol say?

TENNESSEE’S PROTOCOL

​

Primary dose

Set A: pentobarbital

↓

Waiting period

Five minutes

↓

If the inmate remains alive

Backup dose (Set B)

↓

If both fail?

Pike’s lawyers say the protocol has no step for this

Pike’s lawyers · claim

Court filings argued the protocol did not provide for medical care, resuscitation or emergency intervention if the prisoner survived both sets of drugs.

State’s position

Tennessee Department of Correction: the execution team “followed every step” of the established protocol.

Source: Tennessee Department of Correction, US Supreme Court filings, Reuters

06

Not Tennessee’s first failed execution in 2026

MAY 21, 2026Tony Carruthers

Execution abandoned after officials were unable to establish an IV line.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2026Christa Pike

Two doses administered — Pike survived.

The Death Penalty Information Center says Pike’s case is unusual because lethal-injection drugs were administered and she survived.

Source: AP, Reuters, Death Penalty Information Center

07

What happens now?

EXECUTIONS SUSPENDED

Governor Bill Lee

Rest of 2026

All remaining Tennessee executions this year suspended

Pike in hospital

In critical condition and receiving life-saving medical care, Reuters reports

THIRD-PARTY REVIEW

Ordered by Governor Lee into what went wrong

What the review must establish

WHY DID IT FAIL?

Why did two doses fail?

Was IV access compromised?

Did Pike’s medical condition play a role?

Was the execution protocol followed correctly?

Were adequate emergency procedures available?

No single factor has been officially established as the cause of the failed execution.

Source: Reuters, AP, Office of Governor Bill Lee

Sources: Reuters, AP, CBS News, Tennessee Department of Correction, US Supreme Court filings.

Express InfoGenIE

FAQs: Christa Pike failed execution

1. 01

   Who is Christa Pike?

   Christa Pike is a 50-year-old Tennessee death-row inmate who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Pike was 18 when the killing took place. She was scheduled to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

   Christa Gail Pike es la mujer del video.

   Ella es la única mujer en el corredor de la muerte en Tennessee (EE.UU.).

   Fue condenada a muerte en 1996 (hace 31 años) por el brutal asesinato de Colleen Slemmer, una chica de 19 años, en 1995.
   Qué hizo:

   • Cuando tenía 18 años,… pic.twitter.com/JVC3pVbIWL

   — Tendencias y Tuits Borrados (@tendenciaytuits) June 19, 2026

2. 02

   Why did Tennessee try to execute Christa Pike?

   Pike was convicted in the killing of Slemmer, a fellow student at a Job Corps training facility in Knoxville. Pike and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, were convicted in the case. Shipp was 17 at the time and was not eligible for the death penalty.

3. 03

   How did Christa Pike survive the lethal injection?

   Tennessee administered two doses of pentobarbital, but Pike survived. CBS News, citing an emergency court filing by her lawyers, reported that she still had a heartbeat and had not lost consciousness after the two doses. Witnesses could hear her breathing and snoring from the execution chamber.

   Witness Catherine Sweeney with WPLN recounts the planned execution of Christa Pike at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, US, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)

   The AP reported that Pike could still be heard snoring more than an hour after the execution began and nearly 30 minutes after the second dose was administered.

   The precise reason the execution failed has not yet been established.

4. 04

   What happened inside the execution chamber?

   CBS News reported that Pike received the first dose at around 8 pm local time. During the procedure, she reportedly asked prison officials whether she was supposed to be experiencing the sensation she was feeling. AP reporter Kim Chandler, who witnessed the execution, said Pike's mouth opened several times before she began loudly snoring.

   The media witnesses were eventually ordered to leave the area at about 8:53 pm, while Pike could still be heard breathing, according to CBS News.

5. 05

   Was there a problem finding a vein?

   Pike's lawyers have said execution staff struggled to establish intravenous access. CBS News reported that her lawyers alleged that difficult vein access and “blown veins” were among the problems they had warned about before the execution. The state has not confirmed that these problems caused the failed execution. Her lawyers have also said Pike had longstanding difficulties with blood draws.

6. 06

   Did Pike have a medical condition that could have affected the execution?

   Pike's lawyers had raised concerns about her medical history before the execution. Court filings cited by Reuters and other news outlets included arguments about her medical condition and difficulties with IV access.

   However, it would be premature to say that her medical condition caused the execution to fail. Tennessee officials have not identified the cause, and Governor Bill Lee has ordered a third-party review into what happened.

7. 07

   What does Tennessee say went wrong?

   The Tennessee Department of Correction has not identified a specific cause. In a statement, as reported by CBS News, the department said the execution team “followed every step” of the state's established protocol and that the lethal-injection chemical had previously been effective. It also said the protocol did not allow additional procedures beyond those carried out.

8. 08

   What drug was used?

   The drug was pentobarbital, a barbiturate used in Tennessee's single-drug lethal-injection protocol.

   AP reported that pentobarbital has faced scrutiny over whether it can cause pulmonary edema and other complications, although experts disagree over how the drug affects people during executions.

9. 09

   Has Tennessee had a failed execution before?

   Yes. CBS News reported that Tennessee halted the planned execution of Tony Carruthers in May 2026 after officials were unable to establish an IV line for more than an hour.

   Pike's case is different because, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, lethal-injection drugs were administered and she survived. The organisation described her survival as unprecedented in the modern US execution system.

10. 10

    Will Tennessee try to execute Pike again?

    There is no new execution date announced for Pike. Governor Lee has suspended the remaining executions scheduled for 2026 while the third-party review is conducted. Reuters reported that the review will examine what happened during the failed execution.

11. 11

    Why is the case significant?

    AP reported that Pike's survival has renewed scrutiny of lethal-injection procedures and execution methods in the United States. CBS News reported that her case is unusual because the lethal drug was administered but did not result in death.

    The immediate questions are why the two doses failed, whether IV access or another medical issue played a role, and whether Tennessee followed its execution protocol as intended. Those questions are now part of the third-party review Governor Lee ordered.