The 50-year-old has been on death row for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. Christa Pike survived her execution by lethal injection in Tennessee and is now reportedly being taken to the hospital.
Pike’s execution was briefly halted by a federal court as her lawyers mounted a last ditch effort, pointing to the sexual abuse she’d faced as a child. However, the Supreme Court overturned the decision. She also shared “Her mouth fell open a few times and she began to loudly snore. She gasped a few times,” speaking of Pike. Protocols demand that a backup line is also found. After the failed attempt, he got a year’s reprieve from the governor who did not explain his reasoning. Here too, the team could not find a vein and his execution was delayed. Creech now remains on death row. Alan Miller and Kenneth Smith both survived failed execution attempts in Alabama. Alva Campbell’s execution in Ohio was halted as a suitable vein could not be found. He died of natural causes. The first person to survive an execution attempt in the 21st century was Romell Broom.
Tony Carruthers was set to be executed in Tennessee on May 21, 2026 but this failed. He was sentenced for a 1994 triple murder, but only one suitable vein could be found. Thomas Creech’s execution failed in 2024 in Idaho. They were put to death using alternative methods in 2024. Doyle Hamm reached an agreement with the state of Alabama in 2018, stating he would not be subject to a second execution after executioners could not find a vein. He died of cancer in 2021. In 2009, Ohio gave up after trying to search for a vein for two hours. Before a second attempt, Broom died of Covid in 2020.
Pike’s lawyers said she had been administered two syringes of the execution drug pentobarbital but remained alive. “”Ms Pike has not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring,” they wrote, as per ABC. Associated Press journalist Kim Chandler told the media “I would say that Pike appeared noticeably awake as the execution began,” and added “The blinds were closed for the first time to the execution chamber at 7:46pm, they opened again at 7:49pm. “The curtain to the execution chamber closed for the final time at 8:06pm and she could be heard loudly snoring, clearly very alive, in the chamber until media witnesses were told to leave the area at about 8:53pm,” the journalist added.
