On the evening of September 30, 2026, Tennessee gave Christa Pike two doses of pentobarbital and she did not die. The Death Penalty Information Center calls her the first prisoner of the modern era to survive after execution drugs entered the body. The episode begins with the 1995 murder of nineteen-year-old Colleen Slemmer, then follows the night at Riverbend and earlier failed executions. The question remains whether a state can try again.
Who's who
- Christa Pike+2 more episodesConvicted of the 1995 Slemmer murder; survived the 2026 execution attempt
- Bill Lee+2 more episodesTennessee governor who denied clemency, then paused executions and ordered a review
- Frank StradaTennessee corrections commissioner who resigned on October 3, 2026
- Ed Stanton+1 more episodeFormer U.S. attorney named to lead the review of the attempt
- Randy SpiveyPike attorney who demanded the execution be halted
- Robin MaherDeath Penalty Information Center director who called it the worst ever seen
- Romell BroomOhio prisoner whose 2009 execution was halted at the needle
Where it happens
- Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville, TennesseeSite of the September 30, 2026 attempt
- Knoxville, TennesseeWhere Colleen Slemmer was killed in January 1995
- Knox County, TennesseeJury convicted and sentenced Pike in 1996
Timeline
- January 12, 1995Colleen Slemmer killed in Knoxville
- March 30, 1996Pike sentenced to death
- September 15, 2009Ohio halts Romell Broom's execution after about two hours
- May 22, 2025Tennessee resumes executions under a pentobarbital protocol
- September 30, 2026Pike survives two doses of pentobarbital
- October 1, 2026Governor Lee pauses executions for the rest of 2026
Still debated
The corrections department says it followed protocol exactly, while Pike's attorneys allege misplaced IV lines and degraded drugs; the independent review has not reported. No court has ruled on a second attempt after drugs were administered. Accounts of her final words and the curtain times differ slightly.