---
title: "Christa Pike’s Execution Descends Into Chaos After Two Lethal Doses Fail"
url: https://egloos.com/en/smalljoyskorea/25718
channel: "Smalljoys"
channel_url: https://egloos.com/en/smalljoyskorea
category: "Mystery"
language: en
published: 2026-10-02T21:33:25
updated: 2026-10-02T21:33:25
---

# Christa Pike’s Execution Descends Into Chaos After Two Lethal Doses Fail

Christa Pike’s scheduled execution turned into a chaotic medical emergency after two doses of lethal injection drugs failed to end her life.

![](https://static.egloos.com/content/images/body/20261002/20261002213323_image.png)

Pike, 50, was scheduled to be executed Wednesday evening after spending nearly three decades on death row for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

According to media witnesses who watched the execution, Pike was strapped to a gurney when the procedure began. She reportedly said her arm was hurting and asked whether the pain was normal.

![](https://static.egloos.com/content/images/body/20261002/20261002213234_image.png)

At about 7:46 p.m., officials closed the curtain separating the execution chamber from the witness room. It reopened several minutes later, and witnesses reported that Pike was still breathing and making loud snoring sounds.

![](https://static.egloos.com/content/images/body/20261002/20261002213244_image.png)

The state then administered a second dose of pentobarbital, but Pike continued showing signs of life. Witnesses reported hearing her breathe, grunt and make other sounds for nearly another hour. At one point, she reportedly lifted her head and her body appeared to rise from the gurney.

![](https://static.egloos.com/content/images/body/20261002/20261002213255_image.png)

The curtain was eventually closed again. Witnesses were later told to leave the area, and emergency vehicles arrived at the prison. Pike was taken by ambulance to a hospital for medical treatment. Her condition was initially not publicly disclosed.

![](https://static.egloos.com/content/images/body/20261002/20261002213305_image.png)

Tennessee officials said the state followed its established execution protocol, while Pike’s attorneys have raised questions about what went wrong. Governor Bill Lee ordered an independent review and suspended the state’s remaining scheduled executions for 2026.

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