*Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered an outside review after death row inmate Christa Gail Pike survived a cocktail of lethal injection drugs Wednesday night.
Pike, 50, remained alive after receiving two doses of pentobarbital Wednesday night at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Officials later transported her to an off-site medical facility.
The failed execution followed hours of legal maneuvering over whether Tennessee could proceed with Pike’s death sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately cleared the way for the execution after a federal appeals court temporarily blocked it. Pike was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
Lee Orders Outside Review
Lee announced a “comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred,” PEOPLE reports. He also said Tennessee’s remaining scheduled execution would not take place this year.
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“Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the State’s most serious responsibilities,” Lee said in his statement. He said Tennesseans expect the state to carry out executions in a manner that is legal, constitutional and effective.
The Tennessee Department of Correction maintains that officials followed the state’s approved execution procedures. The department said its protocol does not permit additional procedures beyond those performed Wednesday night.
Pike Remained Alive After Second Dose
Media witnesses said Pike remained responsive during portions of the execution and she was heard breathing after officials administered the second dose, according to the Associated Press.
Pike’s attorneys filed an emergency motion while the execution was underway. They argued that she remained alive after officials exhausted the protocol’s available doses.
The state’s procedure calls for a second set of syringes when the first dose does not cause death. However, the protocol does not specify another step when the second dose also fails.
Tennessee Faced Another Failed Execution
Pike’s case marks Tennessee’s second unsuccessful execution attempt this year. In May, officials could not establish the required backup IV line for death row inmate Tony Von Carruthers.
Medical personnel also unsuccessfully attempted a central line, according to the Tennessee governor’s office. Lee then granted Carruthers a one-year reprieve.
Pike was 18 when Slemmer was killed. Her execution would have been Tennessee’s first execution of a woman in more than 200 years.
Lee’s review will now examine why the state could not complete Pike’s execution despite administering both doses allowed under its protocol.
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