In brief
On October 1, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced a suspension of all capital punishment executions for the rest of the year after two lethal‑injection attempts on death‑row inmate Christa Pike failed to deliver her death. Pike, 50, was convicted in 1996 for the murder of 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer; she would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in over two centuries. Officials said a third‑party review is underway to pinpoint the complications, while the Department of Correction defended its protocol. The pause overlaps the scheduled execution of Gary Sutton on December 3, raising questions about the future of the state’s death‑penalty regime.
Tennessee suspends all executions for the rest of the year after death‑row inmate Christa Pike survived two lethal‑injection attempts.
Governor Bill Lee, speaking to CBS News, said the state would conduct an independent review of the protocol used in the failed executions, which took place on Oct. 1.
Pike, 50, had been convicted in 1996 for the murder of 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer and would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years if the procedure had succeeded.
The Department of Correction defended its adherence to the official protocol, while state officials announced the pause will overlap the scheduled execution of Gary Sutton on Dec. 3.
