Tennessee Prisons Chief Resigns As Christa Pike Remains Critical After Failed Execution

Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada will step down later this month following the failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike, as Governor Bill Lee ordered an independent review into what went wrong during the lethal injection attempt.

Pike, 50, remains critically ill, unconscious and on a ventilator at a hospital after the September 30 execution attempt at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Her attorneys said hospital staff were working to save her life and clear the effects of two doses of pentobarbital, the drug used by Tennessee in executions.

According to a court filing by Pike's lawyers, she suffered significant injuries to both arms, which were swollen, burned and blistered. They alleged that problems with the IV lines caused the pentobarbital to enter surrounding tissue rather than her bloodstream after her veins had blown. The state has said the Department of Correction followed its established execution protocol.

Pike's attorneys had warned before the execution that her medical condition, including thrombocytosis, and difficulty accessing her veins could create complications. During the execution, witnesses reported hearing Pike breathing and making noises even after the drugs had been administered. She was eventually taken to a hospital after the attempt was halted.

The execution had also faced a series of last-minute legal challenges. A federal appeals court temporarily blocked it before the US Supreme Court allowed Tennessee to proceed hours later.

Strada said stepping down was in the best interests of Tennessee as the independent review proceeds. His resignation is the first major leadership change following the failed execution.

The incident is also the second botched execution in Tennessee this year. In May, officials halted the execution of Tony Carruthers after they were unable to establish an IV despite trying for about 90 minutes.

Lee has temporarily halted Tennessee's remaining scheduled execution this year while the external review examines the failure. Pike's lawyers have also asked authorities to preserve evidence from the execution attempt as they seek answers about what happened.

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, whom she and her boyfriend tortured and killed when Pike was 18. She became one of the youngest women sentenced to death in the US.