Crime & Justice
Tennessee halts executions after Christa Pike survives lethal injection attempt
October 2, 2026 at 02:59 PM
Coverage
4 reports · 1 in Arabic, 3 in English · over 5 hours
BNBBC News
I've seen nearly 500 executions - but never one like Christa Pike's
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AJAl Jazeera Arabic
نجت من جرعتي إعدام.. كريستا بايك تعيد فتح ملف العقوبة القاتلة
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TGThe Guardian
Christa Pike left in ‘critical condition’ as Tennessee halts all executions | First Thing
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TGThe Guardian
Calls grow for US death penalty halt after ‘torturous’ botched execution of Christa Pike
(opens the publisher’s site)Tennessee Governor Bill Lee suspended all executions after Christa Pike survived a lethal injection attempt and remained in critical condition.
- Pike, 50, convicted of the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, survived two doses of pentobarbital and was receiving life-saving care, her lawyers said.
- Lee suspended executions in the state until at least the end of the year and ordered an independent review into the procedures.
- The failed attempt was the second in Tennessee in five months, following the May cancellation of Tony Carruthers's execution over IV line failures.
- Pike's attorneys said execution teams used at least seven needles on her left arm, one of which appeared bent when withdrawn.