One Dose, Two Doses, Zero Death: Tennessee's Failed Execution

On September 30, 2026, prison officials at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Tennessee administered two full doses of pentobarbital to Christa Pike. The double dose failed to stop her heart. Pike remained conscious. The state halted the procedure and moved her to a hospital.

Pike survived the attempt to execute her for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. She spent six days in critical care before regaining consciousness. The incident serves as a central case study in the new book "Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection" by Corrina Lain. Lain holds the George E. Allen Chair in Law at the University of Richmond School of Law.

Lain argues that states use lethal injection in secret, relying on a method widely viewed as humane. The Tennessee case illustrates her claim that this approach often results in cruel and torturous outcomes. The state’s reliance on secrecy and deceit masks the physical realities of the process.

Tennessee is not alone in maintaining the practice, though its recent failure draws sharp attention. In Oregon, Governor John Kitzhaber issued a moratorium on executions in November 2011. Kitzhaber was a former emergency room doctor. By December 2022, the state had dismantled its execution chamber. Governor Kate Brown commuted the sentences of all remaining adults on death row to life without parole at that time.

Current Oregon Governor Tina Kotek maintains the ongoing execution moratorium. However, the Oregon Justice Resource Center notes that execution remains a legal punishment in the state. The group warns that political shifts could change this status. They emphasize that the death penalty offers no path to undoing a wrongful conviction and provides no guarantee against a botched procedure.