Lawyer Gives Minute-by-Minute Account of Failed Tennessee Execution of Christa Pike

A lawyer for Christa Pike has given a minute-by-minute account of the failed attempt to execute her in Tennessee on 30 September, saying he watched it happen. The account, from Randy Spivey, was released in a declaration filed as part of separate legal proceedings, and it describes a long and troubled effort to place an intravenous (IV) line, the thin tube through which drugs are delivered into a vein.

Pike, 50, was sentenced to death in 1996 for first-degree murder in Knox County, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. Reuters reported that she was set to become the first woman executed by Tennessee in more than 200 years. The state's execution protocol allows the sedative pentobarbital to be used on its own.

According to Spivey's account, the search for a vein began at 6:35pm. About 20 minutes in, members of the execution team began discussing among themselves whether her vein "might be blowing," meaning the vein may have collapsed or the drug may have leaked into the surrounding tissue. The team used up to 10 needles. Witnesses sat in a dark room for about an hour and a half while the attempt went on, NPR reported.

At 6:53pm, one team member first expressed concern that the vein might be blown. Four minutes later, two others inspected and poked the insertion site, and both said they "can't tell" whether they had found the vein. One member was heard saying, "It's either blood or blown, I need to know." A 20-gauge needle was discarded with the remark, "It's not long enough. What is the longest you've got?"

Later, a team member pulled a needle from Pike's left arm that appeared severely bent, and said, "I need to work again." At 7:13pm, a team member told her they "have it," and the injection of pentobarbital began. Pike remained alive afterward, making snoring and choking sounds, and the execution was called off. The search for a vein had been completed at 7:24pm, according to the account.

Pike spent 10 days in hospital before being returned to the prison in Nashville where she had lived for 30 years. Her lawyers said she would continue to receive medical care there. Her lawyer told the BBC that she woke up in hospital "angry and confused." She can now talk and walk, but her long-term prognosis is not known, according to the Guardian.

Before the execution, Pike's lawyers had warned that officials might struggle to find her veins and could cause her suffering in the process. Her former lawyer later said that defense filings had warned she was at risk for "exactly what happened."

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has called off all executions in the state pending a review. A judge has ordered that all evidence from the execution be preserved. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on 20 October found that one in three Americans supported a second execution attempt after a failed one.