Executions in Tennessee have been halted for the relaxation of the 12 months, Governor Bill Lee has said, after two makes an attempt to execute death row inmate Christa Pike by deadly injection failed.
In a assertion to CBS News, the BBC’s US companion, Lee said lawful executions were among the state’s “most serious responsibilities”, including that he has ordered a third-party review “to determine exactly what occurred”.
Tennessee prison officers on Wednesday tried to administer two deadly doses of pentobarbital to Pike but she survived and was taken to hospital. Her medical situation is unclear.
Pike, 50 was sentenced to death in 1996 for the homicide of Colleen Slemmer.
She was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Slemmer.
Pike would have been the first lady to be executed in Tennessee for over 200 years.
Speaking to reporters at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday morning, Lee said: “I’m highly disappointed, along with Tennesseans, about what happened last night.”
Governor Lee has not made clear who will conduct the impartial review of the state’s execution procedures.
His order to pause all executions will overlap with the deliberate 3 December execution of convicted assassin Gary Sutton.
In court filings, Pike’s legal professionals said she needed “life-saving measures” after her botched execution.
The Tennessee Department of Correction, which dealt with the execution, issued a assertion defending its handling of the case.
“The Tennessee Department of Correction followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the attorney general’s office,” the assertion said.
“The lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective, and the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out this evening.”
This is the second time in 2026 Tennessee officers tried and failed to execute a prisoner.
In May, the execution of Tony Carruthers was called off after employees were unable to discover a vein to administer a deadly drug. Carruthers was given a one-year reprieve.
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