NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) —
Update 12:25 a.m.:
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has halted executions for the remainder of the year, the Associated Press reports, after Christa Pike's execution was botched Wednesday.
Gov. Lee said in a statement that he has ordered “a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred," according to the AP. The remaining scheduled execution will not take place this year, the AP reported.
Update 11:45 p.m.:
The Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed Christa Pike is being treated at an offsite medical facility following the attempted execution.
"The lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective, and the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out this evening," a TDOC spokesperson said in a statement.
A spokesperson said TDOC "followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office."
It's not yet clear what went wrong in Pike's planned execution, and attorneys and officials have not provided an update on her medical condition.
Update 10:40 p.m.:
Attorneys for Christa Pike say she is being treated at a local hospital following a botched execution. Attorneys said they have not been informed of her condition.
"Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution," the statement said. "We take no pleasure in being right, but the concerns raised by Ms. Pike proved to be true: difficult vein access, blown veins, degraded pentobarbital, no emergency medical care available when things inevitably go wrong, all under a protocol that remains veiled in secrecy."
This marks the second Tennessee execution in a row that has not gone as planned.
In May, Tennessee stopped the execution of Tony Carruthers after the execution team failed to place a central line in his chest to deliver the lethal chemicals. Gov. Bill Lee issued a one-year reprieve for Carruthers following that failed execution, but did not pause other scheduled executions, including Pike’s.
TDOC has not released any information about the attempted execution as of this update.
Update 9:30 p.m.:
An emergency filing from Christa Pike’s attorneys says she has not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat after receiving lethal injection chemicals.
Media witnesses said she was still “clearly very alive” when they were asked to leave the witness room.
Media witness Steven Hale with the Nashville Banner said, “A lot of this attempted execution happened when we could not see what was going on.”
WATCH: Media witnesses say Pike remained “very alive” when they were asked to leave room
Witnesses also say they saw an ambulance leaving the facility.
“We got out here, and then you all saw the ambulance that was going away with sirens, so we can presume there was somebody alive in that, but we don’t know, we’re not being told,” media witness Catherine Sweeney with WPLN said.
In the past, following completed executions in Tennessee, TDOC officials typically come out to formally announce the completion of the lethal injection, including a time of death. NewsChannel 5's Amanda Roberts on the scene says TDOC officials never came out to announce anything this evening.
WATCH: NewsChannel 5's Amanda Roberts reports from the scene
Update 6 p.m.:
The U.S. Supreme Court has lifted the stay that had temporarily halted Christa Pike’s execution, clearing the way for Tennessee to move forward. The court granted the state’s request to vacate the Sixth Circuit’s stay.
WATCH: Supreme Court clears path for Christa Pike's execution
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented. Sotomayor wrote that the decision allows Tennessee to proceed before Pike’s pending legal challenge has been fully considered by the appeals court.
Update 2:15 p.m.:
Tennessee has filed a reply to Christa Pike’s attorneys, again asking the U.S. Supreme Court to lift the stay blocking her execution.
In the filing Wednesday afternoon, the state argues Pike’s latest challenge should be treated as a second habeas petition and says she is unlikely to succeed in getting her previous federal case reopened.
The state also pushes back on Pike’s argument that Tennessee’s more recent acknowledgment of her childhood sexual abuse changes the foundation of earlier court rulings. It says those courts did consider evidence about her traumatic childhood and ultimately found that additional evidence would not have changed the jury’s sentencing decision.
Tennessee is also arguing Pike waited too long to raise the issue, pointing out that the comments at the center of her challenge were made Aug. 13, but she did not file her motion until 47 days later — less than 24 hours before her scheduled execution.
The state is asking the Supreme Court to lift the stay and let the execution proceed.
Update 1 p.m.:
Christa Pike’s attorneys are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to keep her execution on hold.
In a response filed Wednesday, they urged the justices to reject Tennessee’s request to lift the stay issued by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Pike’s attorneys argue the appeals court should be allowed to finish reviewing whether her latest filing can reopen her previous federal case.
At the center of that challenge is what Pike’s attorneys describe as a significant change in the state’s position on her history of childhood sexual abuse and rape. They argue that earlier courts questioned Pike’s credibility, while the state more recently said in court that it does not dispute the abuse she suffered.
Her attorneys say that change raises questions about the integrity of the earlier proceedings and is enough reason for the appeals court to take a closer look before any execution moves forward.
The filing also pushes back on the state’s argument that Pike waited until the last minute to raise the issue. Her attorneys say she filed after the state’s position changed and after other legal challenges and her clemency request were resolved.
Update 10:40 a.m.:
The state is now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and allow Christa Pike’s execution to move forward.
In a filing Wednesday morning, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office asked the Supreme Court to lift the Sixth Circuit’s stay.
The state argues Pike’s latest challenge is an attempt to revisit a claim that has already been considered by the courts and says the appeals court should not have halted the execution while it reviews the issue.
“We will continue to advocate for the lawfully-imposed sentence as the courts work through this technical issue,” a spokesperson for Skrmetti’s office said. “It is common in capital cases for the defense to raise last minute objections following decades of litigation in numerous courts. We are asking the Supreme Court of the United States to lift the stay.”
The Sixth Circuit issued the stay at 8:17 a.m. Wednesday, less than two hours before Pike was scheduled to be executed at 10 a.m. The court said it needed more time to consider whether Pike’s latest filing should be treated as a request to reopen her previous federal case or as a second habeas petition.
Update 9 a.m.:
A federal appeals court temporarily stayed Christa Pike's execution while it considers her latest challenge to her death sentence, according to court filings.
According to court documents, Pike argues the state recently reversed its position that she fabricated allegations of sexual abuse.
Pike argues that the State’s concession of her history of child sexual abuse and rape “erodes the foundation” of her state court proceedings.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ordered Pike's execution stayed until further notice of the court.
PREVIOUS REPORTING
Tennessee is scheduled to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection on Wednesday morning at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, marking the first time the state has put a woman to death in more than 200 years.
The execution is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sept. 30.
WATCH: Tennessee prepares to execute Christa Pike this morning
Pike has spent more than three decades on death row following her conviction for the 1995 torture and murder of Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. Pike was 18 years old at the time of the crime.
Investigators said Pike bragged about the murder, showing off a piece of Slemmer's skull to other students.
This case also marks the first time Tennessee will execute someone for a crime committed at age 18 since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Gov. Bill Lee reviewed Pike's request for clemency and decided not to intervene.
WATCH: Gov. Bill Lee will not intervene in Christa Pike’s scheduled execution
Death penalty advocacy groups held a virtual vigil Tuesday night to pray for Pike, Slemmer's family, and those who will carry out the execution.
Witnesses are expected to gather at Riverbend Prison a few hours before the execution.
Are you following the Christa Pike execution? This is a story with deep roots in Tennessee history. Watch our live coverage and share your thoughts with reporter Eric Pointer directly at Eric.Pointer@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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