Christa Pike, 50, was sentenced to death in 1996 for the torture and murder of a 19-year-old female student. After nearly 30 years in prison, Pike was slated to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over two centuries.

The botched execution occurred at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville around 8 PM on 30/9. Pike received two doses of pentobarbital.

Tori Gessner, a reporter and news editor for WKRN, reported that at 7:34 PM, Pike was heard saying, "My arm feels like it's about to explode. Is this how it usually goes?"

Female death row inmate Christa Pike. Photo: Tennessee Department of Correction

Tennessee's execution protocol dictates that a first dose of the drug is administered, followed by a second if the inmate does not die. However, the regulations lack provisions for what to do if an inmate is still breathing after two doses.

Pike's legal team filed an emergency motion to halt the execution and requested medical care, stating that she had lost consciousness but her heart was still beating, and she was audibly snoring. Pike is currently hospitalized, with no specific medical condition announced.

"The Tennessee Department of Correction followed all steps in the legal execution protocol, established and approved by the Attorney General's Office," spokesperson Dorinda Carter said.

Dr. Joel Zivot, a professor at Emory University School of Medicine and a medical expert hired by Pike's legal team, suggested that the pentobarbital concentration in her blood might not have been high enough to induce respiratory arrest and cardiovascular failure during the execution attempt.

"She is very likely to suffer brain damage due to delayed emergency resuscitation," Zivot said.

Pike's legal team has spent years attempting to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without parole. Her lawyers detailed a history of childhood violence, neglect, and sexual abuse, including rapes at ages 11 and 17. They also presented medical diagnoses received during her incarceration, which identified bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A lower court had previously granted a stay of execution to review additional mitigating circumstances. However, the US Supreme Court rejected this order on 30/9, allowing Tennessee to proceed with the execution.

Pike's case drew significant media attention due to the perpetrator carving an inverted five-pointed star (a Satanic symbol) onto the victim's chest and taking a piece of her skull as a "souvenir." Two other camp witnesses reported that Pike boasted about the murder both before and after the event, and showed them a piece of the victim's skull.

Trial testimony indicated Pike viewed the victim as a romantic rival for her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp.

Pike and Shipp confessed to the murder, both convicted of first-degree murder the following year. Pike received a death sentence, while Shipp was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.

A third accomplice, Shadolla Peterson, 18 at the time, acted as a lookout. She testified for the prosecution and received a suspended sentence.

According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, Pike is the only woman currently on the state's death row. She was also convicted in 8/2001 of first-degree attempted murder after attacking another inmate.

Executing female inmates is rare in the US. The Death Penalty Information Center reports that women comprise only 18 of the 1,683 individuals executed since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Prior to Pike's case, Tennessee had executed 17 people.

Hoang Lan (Sources: AP, Reuters, BBC)