Tennessee Execution Team Struggled to Establish IV Lines for Christa Pike

Tennessee execution team members encountered multiple difficulties establishing working intravenous lines in Christa Pike’s arms prior to her attempted execution, with some warning that her veins may have ruptured, or “blown,” before she was administered pentobarbital. This account comes from a court document filed by Pike's attorney.

The IV team reportedly used approximately 10 needles and tried several IV sites on both of Pike's arms. According to attorney Randy Spivey, they even struggled to push saline through the final IV site that was successfully established.

Pike, 50, survived two doses of pentobarbital during the state’s attempt to execute her on Sept. 30 for the 1995 stabbing death of her former classmate, Colleen Slemmer. Pike was 18 at the time of the murder, which she committed with her boyfriend, making her one of the youngest women to receive a death sentence.

Tennessee's protocol allows for a second dose of pentobarbital if the first does not result in death, but it does not specify procedures for cases where an individual survives a second injection.

Following the failed execution, Pike was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator for several days. Her attorneys initially did not expect her to survive. She eventually regained consciousness and was discharged from the hospital before returning to prison. The incident has prompted renewed scrutiny of Tennessee's methods for carrying out death sentences.