Krista Pike taken to hospital after failed lethal injection attempt
Execution attempt in Tennessee halted after two doses of pentobarbital; defense says Pike lost consciousness but still had a heartbeat.
Krista Pike, a 50-year-old death-row inmate in Tennessee, was rushed to a hospital after authorities were unable to carry out her execution with two lethal injections, according to filings from her legal team.
Defense says she lost consciousness but still had a heartbeat
Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the killing of 19-year-old Colin Slemer. Prosecutors say Pike, then 18, and her then-boyfriend Tadaril Ship beat, tortured and killed Slemer.
Her attorneys filed an emergency motion asking a court to halt the execution, asserting that Pike “had lost consciousness and still had a heartbeat.” The motion said she was transferred to a hospital after the attempt to carry out the sentence failed.
Officials administering the death sentence gave two doses of pentobarbital, and the curtain separating the execution chamber from the witness room was lowered twice during the procedure. At one point, members of the media were asked to leave the viewing area.
The botched execution raises new questions about the use of pentobarbital and the protocols states use for lethal injections. Authorities have not released additional medical details or a precise timeline for any further legal steps.
Photo: AP)
