Christa Pike survives botched Tennessee execution

Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, survived a botched lethal injection after being given two doses of the drug pentobarbital. A witness said she was still clearly alive after the procedure.

The state canceled its remaining scheduled execution this year after the failed attempt. The case has drawn fresh attention because it was the second failed execution in Tennessee this year.

Pike had told the prison team before the injection that she was ready to die and “ready to be free.” Instead, the execution did not work as planned, and she lived through it.

The news leaves one basic fact settled: Christa Pike did not die in the execution chamber. What happens next in her case is still unclear.