Tennessee prison chief to resign after Christa Pike's failed execution

The head of Tennessee's prisons is resigning after the failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike on Wednesday. The departure follows the state's unsuccessful attempt to carry out her death sentence.

Governor Bill Lee announced the leadership change on Saturday in a joint statement with Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada.

Strada said stepping down was in the state's best interests. He also described the ongoing investigation into the incident as appropriate and necessary.

Lee has ordered an independent review of the attempted execution and halted all executions in Tennessee for the year.

Authorities have not explained what went wrong or said whether they will attempt to execute Pike again. Her lawyers filed an emergency motion Friday seeking preservation of all evidence related to the failed execution.

The Department of Correction has defended the method it used, saying its protocol did not permit additional procedures beyond those carried out.

Christa Pike was placed on a ventilator and remained unconscious in hospital after her failed execution in Tennessee, her attorneys said in a court filing Friday, October 2. They said hospital staff were working to save her life and, as of late Thursday, trying to clear two doses of the execution drug.

Pike's attorneys said they believed problems with the IV lines caused pentobarbital to enter her body rather than her bloodstream. Their filing said execution team members apparently failed to recognize that the lines were incorrectly placed or that the veins had failed.

The lawyers said the team prepared and administered a second dose of pentobarbital instead of correcting the problem they described. State officials have not provided an explanation of what went wrong.

Governor Bill Lee demanded a review of execution procedures and indefinitely postponed Pike's execution and another scheduled for this year. Republican Tennessee lawmakers said the state should examine whether to stop single-drug lethal injections and consider other methods of carrying out death sentences.

Lawyers say Christa Pike was on a ventilator after failed execution

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