Tennessee pauses executions after second failed lethal injection attempt

Tennessee has paused executions after the unsuccessful attempt to put Christa Pike to death, the second failed execution in the state within four months. Pike, 50, remained unconscious and on a ventilator at a Nashville-area hospital on Friday, according to her attorneys. They said execution staff poked her with needles at least seven times before administering two doses of pentobarbital.

Her lawyers said the drug may have entered tissue rather than her bloodstream because intravenous lines were incorrectly placed or veins had failed. They said Pike suffered burned and blistered arms and that officials administered a second dose instead of correcting the problem. Governor Bill Lee ordered an independent investigation and paused executions in the state.

The decision has prompted renewed criticism from opponents and supporters of capital punishment who have questioned the state’s procedures. Republican state Senator Joey Hensley, a physician, said execution personnel might not have been sufficiently trained for difficult cases and suggested the intravenous line was not properly inserted. Tennessee has carried out four of more than 140 executions nationwide since 2022, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Earlier this year, the state halted the execution of Tony Carruthers after staff failed to establish the required intravenous access. In 2022, Lee stopped the execution of Oscar Smith after officials discovered that lethal-injection drugs had been mishandled. A subsequent review found that Tennessee had not followed its own drug-testing procedures since a protocol was revised in 2018.

The review also said an unidentified executioner had no formal healthcare training and learned the role largely through experience. Legal scholars cited in the supplied material said lethal injection carries medical risks and is often conducted under significant secrecy. Tennessee has not announced when executions will resume.