Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has suspended all executions for the remainder of the year following a botched death row attempt involving Christa Pike. Pike, 50, survived a failed lethal injection and was discharged from a hospital after being moved back to prison.
Pike, who was sentenced to death for a 1995 murder, was taken to a Nashville hospital unconscious and critically ill after two failed injections during her execution. Her lawyers confirmed she will continue receiving medical care at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center where she has been housed for over 30 years.
A Tennessee judge ordered officials to preserve all evidence related to the failed execution, a step that one of Pike's lawyers called a critical move to protect her constitutional rights. The suspension of executions follows similar failures in May involving Tony Carruthers.
Tennessee officials are under scrutiny as investigators look into the botched execution of Pike and the similar failure involving Carruthers, with the state temporarily halting all executions until further inquiry is complete.