Tennessee prison chief quits after Christa Pike's failed execution attempt

The head of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, Frank Strada, resigned after Christa Pike's failed execution attempt. This was announced on October 3 by Governor Bill Lee, reports The Associated Press and The Washington Post.

Strada will leave office on Oct. He explained the decision in the interests of residents of the state and expressed readiness to facilitate an independent verification of the circumstances of the incident. “I consider this inspection fully justified and necessary,” the official said.

Pike was executed on September 30 with two doses of pentobarbital. After the first injection, she continued to show signs of life, but repeated administration of the drug also did not lead to death. The woman was taken to hospital.

According to lawyers, after the procedure, Pike remained unconscious on the ventilator. The defense said her hands were swollen and covered with blisters. The lawyers suggested that the catheters were installed incorrectly or the veins could not withstand the introduction of the drug, because of which it completely or partially got into the surrounding tissue.

The prison department, for its part, said it had complied with all the protocol actions. The department stressed that the document, approved by the state attorney general's office, does not allow for additional procedures beyond those conducted that evening.

Lee ordered an independent review and suspended the executions until the end of 2026. It was the second failed execution attempt in Tennessee in a year, when Tony Carruthers was stopped in May after staff failed to provide intravenous access.

Pike was convicted of killing 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995. She was 18 years old at the time of the crime. Her accomplice Tedaryl Shipp received a life sentence because he was a minor. Pike was the first woman to be executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.