Christa Pike said she continues to experience physical and emotional pain one month after Tennessee’s failed execution attempt, as state officials review whether the procedure followed the state’s execution protocol.
At Gov. Bill Lee’s request, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office retained former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton, the governor’s office announced Oct. 3. The office said Stanton will determine whether the Tennessee Department of Correction followed the state’s execution protocol and consider further recommendations to keep it lawful and effective. Stanton led a 2022 review that prompted a substantial rewrite of the protocol, according to the governor’s office. Lee canceled Tennessee’s remaining scheduled execution for 2026 while the review proceeds. The announcement set no deadline.
The Independent reported Friday that Pike’s statement was dictated to her attorney and provided to WBIR in Knoxville. Pike said she entered the execution chamber expecting to die and later woke in a hospital, confused and in pain. She described pain in her arms, hands and throat, along with emotional distress. “I still struggle to speak,” Pike said.
Pike’s attorney, Randy Spivey, described IV placement problems in a court declaration about the procedure, as detailed in EconoTimes’ earlier coverage of the execution attempt.
