Tennessee Corrections Chief Resigns Following Botched Execution
Governor Bill Lee announced the departure of Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada after a review of the failed execution of Christa Pike.
Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada is resigning from his post this month following the state's failed execution of Christa Pike, Gov. Bill Lee announced Saturday. Strada stated that stepping down is in the best interests of the state as an independent review is conducted to determine the cause of the execution's failure.
Pike was placed on a ventilator and remained unconscious at a hospital following the incident Wednesday, according to her attorneys. In a court filing Friday, her lawyers stated that hospital staff were working to save Pike's life and were attempting to clear the two doses of pentobarbital that had been administered. Pike's attorneys believe that issues with IV lines caused the drug to enter her body rather than her bloodstream, and that the execution team did not recognize the problem.
Pike was convicted for the 1995 torture and murder of a classmate, Colleen Slemmer, when Pike was 18. Her case made her one of the youngest women sentenced to death row.
The botched execution has prompted calls for answers from both supporters and opponents of the death penalty. Governor Lee has ordered an independent review of the event.