Christa Pike discharged from hospital, returned to prison after botched execution, attorneys say

Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, has been discharged from a hospital and returned to prison following a failed execution attempt on September 30. Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. During the execution attempt, Pike received two doses of pentobarbital but survived, leading to her hospitalization where she was at one point believed to be brain dead. Following her recovery and return to the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has paused executions for the remainder of 2026, and the state's top prison official has resigned.

Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, has been discharged from a hospital and returned to prison following a failed execution attempt on September 30. Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. During the execution attempt, Pike received two doses of pentobarbital but survived, leading to her hospitalization where she was at one point believed to be brain dead. Following her recovery and return to the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has paused executions for the remainder of 2026, and the state's top prison official has resigned.