NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Attorneys for Tennessee death row inmate Christa Gail Pike are pointing to last week’s halted execution attempt of Tony Carruthers as they continue challenging the state’s lethal injection protocol.
In a statement released Tuesday, Pike's attorney, Stephen Ferrell, said the complications during Carruthers’ execution attempt highlight concerns about whether Tennessee can carry out executions without causing unnecessary suffering.
“Last week’s botched execution raises grave concerns about the State’s ability to prevent another tortuous execution,” Ferrell said.
Carruthers’ execution attempt was halted Thursday after execution staff were unable to establish a backup IV line required under Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol. Prison staff spent about 30 minutes unsuccessfully attempting to place IV lines before a doctor attempted to insert a central line in Carruthers’ chest.
Carruthers’ attorneys later described him as being in “agony” during the procedure and questioned the qualifications of the physician involved.
Ferrell said Pike faces additional risks because she suffers from thrombocytopenia, a blood condition that can cause excessive bleeding, and has small veins that make IV insertion difficult.
“We are particularly concerned given Christa Pike’s blood condition thrombocytopenia, which leads to excessive bleeding, as well as her small veins which make the insertion of a needle difficult, even for the most trained medical professionals,” Ferrell said.
“Pike’s unique condition would cause a bloody froth in her lungs that would amount to drowning.”
Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, is scheduled to be executed Sept. 30. Earlier this year, she filed a lawsuit seeking to halt her execution, arguing Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol would amount to cruel and unusual punishment because of her medical condition.
Pike was convicted at age 18 in 1996 for torturing and killing a girl while they were both in a job training program for troubled teens. Pike's execution would mark the first time Tennessee has put a woman to death in more than 200 years.
Ferrell also said attorneys, medical experts and advocates warned when Tennessee adopted its 2025 execution protocol that unanswered questions in the process could lead to severe complications during executions.
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