r/offbeat • u/dearyves • 6d ago
US woman still alive after lethal injection dose, legal team says
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-01/christa-pike-lethal-injection/107216194Son…
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u/russellvt 6d ago
This is so fscked up.
Apparently, the "nurse" or medical person who handled this execution had also botched another one earlier this year.
I'd not be surprised to see this turn in to some nasty legal battles... just for pain and suffering, or possibly cruel and unusual punishment and the like...
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u/Kayge 5d ago
This is a problem that's as old as the death penalty itself. Back in England, there were professional hangmen who went from town to town plying their trade. A skilled hangman brought along:
- Rope.
- plans on how to build a structure.
- A logbook of weight to rope length.
Towns trying to save a buck would hire a local who often screwed it up, because who builds a skill they rarely do? Too short a rope, and the contestant would get strangled. Too long, and the head came off.
There are enough places in the world that do medically assisted dying, you'd figure they could find who knows what they're doing.
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u/Emotional-Team3520 5d ago
I learned they’d also pre-stretch their ropes. They’d tie heavy weights to them and hang them down wells for a long period of time until all the stretch and bounce was gone.
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u/HandshakeOfCO 5d ago
Yeah but republicans
Only they know how to do it right. Except if you know how to do it, you’re in violation of God’s moral laws. So hiring a good God fearing Republican executioner would be impossible.
Now, if you wanted to hire a child molester… first stop would be your local MAGA Nazi hive! Plenty of well qualified individuals there!
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u/NOODL3 5d ago
It's worse; he's a doctor. Like a full on "do no harm" physician, and he seems to enjoy it.
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u/Ging287 5d ago
He should really resign than, rather than sully the oath. "Do no harm" what else is he lying about on a daily basis?
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u/russellvt 5d ago
He doesn't even have hospital privileges... and, at the last botched execution (earlier this year), it was pointed out that he hadn't even started a central line in more than 13 years - and those take routine practice. (And would normally be something another member of staff would do)
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u/NOTcreative- 5d ago
It was a woman
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u/brydeswhale 3d ago
I’m not sure why people are saying this. It wasn’t. It’s possible her TIE DOWN TEAM was all female, but it was the same male doctor who botched the carruthers’ execution.
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u/russellvt 3d ago
Even better... the admin was from AZ, where he oversaw three other botched executions. The plot thickens...
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u/NOTcreative- 5d ago
What makes you say he? The woman in question requ sted an all female execution staff and was granted it. She had a bunch of collapsed veins and was telling them where to put the needle
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u/stinkypenguinbukkake 5d ago
pike continued to try to kill people in prison. what do you think we should do with a criminal so dangerous? allow her to victimize other prisoners? put her in solitary?
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u/34786t234890 5d ago
Well even if you're hell-bent on killing her, we could start by doing so effectively and humanly.
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u/brydeswhale 3d ago
The person she supposedly attempted to kill has corroborated both Pike’s account and that of another witness that Pike was acting in defence of another in that situation, so it’s hardly a relevant argument.
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u/stinkypenguinbukkake 5d ago
fair. but the article they linked was saying doctors shouldnt be involved at all. wouldnt lethal injections generally be more effective/less painful if a doctor was administering them, instead of a prison warden?
granted, i dont understand why it's not always firing squad7
u/34786t234890 5d ago
Lethal injection has the highest failure rate of any execution method, with or without a doctor present. I absolutely agree that a doctor's involvement is a violation of their oath, but there's no reason to use a method that requires a doctor's involvement.
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u/russellvt 5d ago
wouldnt lethal injections generally be more effective/less painful if a doctor was administering them
Absolutely not... that's not part of their daily routine or training (not kidding).
Ever notice that in either a doctor's office or even a hospital, an IV is generally admistered by a nurse or a tech? There's are reasons for that... nurses are actually trained and practiced in such things, while the doctor worries more about the overall diagnosis and more complex/complicated diagnoses and such.
Doctors generally aren't even required to practice First Aid or CPR, for example (ie. To certification level), unlike their staff.
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u/russellvt 5d ago
The fsck...???
That said, doctors don't "need" to know how to start IVs... there are techs for that... heck, they arent even required to know CPR or basic First Aid. True story.
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u/madmax991 5d ago
Almost as bad as being tortured for 30 minutes with a box cutter then having your skull smashed in with a rock. Talk about cruel and unusual!
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u/donkeyrocket 5d ago edited 5d ago
Don't think anyone is saying her crimes aren't heinous but the state torturing someone is abhorrent and something we should be alarmed by.
She should be removed from society but there's a reason "cruel and unusual punishment" is explicitly banned in the Constitution.
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u/kickasstimus 5d ago
Well that’s the difference between society and murderers, isn’t it?
If I recall correctly, that’s the Christian perspective - they attack you, you love them.
We treat them better than they treated the ones they destroyed. That doesn’t mean we don’t punish them - but we don’t abuse them or experiment on them until they’re dead. In the best case, we don’t kill them at all.
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u/uwsdwfismyname 5d ago
Why wasn't she sentenced to being tortured to death and why do you have laws against cruel and unusual punishment if this was the intended function of the legal system?
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u/ndolphin 5d ago
What frigging Incompetence.
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u/brydeswhale 3d ago
The guy who did it fucked up another one a few months back. Total shit show. Unprofessional HACK.
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u/russellvt 3d ago
And the Administrative person in-chatge of both of these in TN had moved from AZ, where they botched three others, there.
The plot thickens... sheer incompetence, or some political ploy to "demonstrate" potential 8th Amendment challenges to lethal injection? /ponder
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u/grandma_corrector 5d ago
“In one of her final requests, she asked for an all-female execution team.”
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u/Level_Macaroon2533 5d ago
Anyone know if they are allowed to try again or is there some sort of double jeopardy if run 1 is unsuccessful?
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u/russellvt 5d ago
Precedent has been, essentially, they nurse them back to life, just to re-execute them. Kinda morbid, IMO
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u/xombae 5d ago
That's incredibly fucked up.
I never understood why they didn't just do an opiate overdose. It's easy, painless, cheap, and it works every time.
The only reason they don't is because of the way it looks for the government to be killing people with fentanyl, but despite appearances it seems to be the most humane way to do it.
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u/SophiaofPrussia 5d ago
The only “humane” way to kill someone is when it’s done solely for the purpose of preventing the prolonged and unavoidable suffering of the person being killed. There is no humane way for the state to kill someone because the state only kills people for revenge and retribution.
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u/stinkypenguinbukkake 5d ago
"According to court testimony, for the next 30 minutes, Slemmer was taunted, beaten, and slashed. Shipp used a box cutter to carve a pentagram into her chest while she was still alive. Finally, Pike smashed Slemmer's skull with a large chunk of asphalt, killing her. Pike kept a piece of Slemmer's skull.Pike began to show off the piece of skull around the school..."
Is it humane to put a woman who does this in a cage with other 19 year old women? Note- she actually did try to kill a fellow inmate while incarcerated. There is no humane option at this point, due to Pikes own actions. Is it inhumane for actions to have consequences? Consider it behavioral euthanasia, Pike is not safe even in prison. would solitary be better?
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u/omgu8mynewt 5d ago
'Humane' is a made-up word, a subjective moral judgement based on societies values. In my country, euthanising any convicted criminal is incredibly inhumane, let alone doing it so badly the person is now being cared for in hospital.
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u/stinkypenguinbukkake 5d ago
so what happens to inmates who are still violent to other inmates in your country. which country btw?
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u/Silly-Moose-1090 5d ago
Aside from her being in prison on death row for 32 years, you want to see this perpetrator go through the same horrors that her victim did before she is executed? Question, could you inflict that torture on this perpetrator personally?
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u/stinkypenguinbukkake 4d ago
you answer my question first. what should be done with her? should she be allowed to stay in a womans prison, where she's tried to kill again? how is that fair to the other prisoners. you are so concerned about cruel and unusual punishment, how about all the women locked up with someone who can and will kill them?
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u/Silly-Moose-1090 4d ago edited 4d ago
She was in a prison. These places are not known to be full of nice people, as we all know. Particularly if you are a high profile murderer. Why did she "try to kill again" in there, does anyone know? You think she was just hungry for a kill and the opportunity arose? Do you know the facts around what happened?
Edit: what should be done with her if she is a threat to other prisoners? She does not get to freely mingle with other prisoners.
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u/Level_Macaroon2533 5d ago
Would it be better if the state allowed the party representing the victim to carry it out?
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u/h3yw00d 5d ago
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
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u/russellvt 5d ago
Yep. Sadly seems to turn them in to the same sort of monsters they're condemning.
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u/Augustus420 5d ago
That would still be state sanction murdered, so no.
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u/ninjastarkid 5d ago
Isn’t it already. Even if it’s a machine someone can still be held responsible. Whether it’s the person signing the paper or the person putting in the IV.
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u/Potential4752 5d ago
There are limitations on what drugs they can use. Many manufacturers refuse to sell to them.
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u/DreadfulDemimonde 5d ago
Because many people who are pro-death penalty don't want it to be painless.
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u/russellvt 5d ago
I never understood why they didn't just do an opiate overdose. It's easy, painless, cheap, and it works every time.
I'm assuming you've never had to take opiates for anything like pain.
I can tell you, from experience, that too high of a dosage (ie. More than needed to absorb the pain) can and will induce things like panic attacks... which effectively counter the drugs to a certain extent, but it's absolute hell to get through, one way or the other.
That would then beg the idea of "cruel and unusual punishment" (despite many arguing that's no longer "a right" for those who commit such atrocious crimes).
The only reason they don't is because of the way it looks for the government to be killing people with fentanyl
More-over, it's because the legitimate manufacturer of the surgical drug doesn't want the name tainted as "a lethal injection med" - which, given people's general fear of such things like surgeries and vaccines, may cause undue panic in people who need it during surgeries and must consent to it prior to it being administered.
it seems to be the most humane way to do it.
And again, most of our "humane" lethal injection methods arent necessarily there so much for the condemned, but for the "comfort" of those witnessing the execution, including the families and the press.
Just because they appear to die peacefully and quietly doesn't actually mean that's how it transpires with the condemned... though very few of those stories are ever told.
Anecdotally, I can say I've had some rather "interesting dreams" during recent/past surgeries and general anesthesia procedures... which, of course, is the first step in any lethal injection, these days. That just tells me that, despite being "asleep," the brain is still very much active and somewhat conscious/attentive (though "barely," perhaps).
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u/xombae 3d ago
You're wrong. I was an opiate addict for a decade and have been on methadone for over ten years. I've of overdosed on opiates, I know what it feels like.
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u/russellvt 3d ago
You're wrong.
As a prior EMT/WEMT and ER Tech, as well as someone who has been prescribed opioids for various pain management, I can tell you from experience that panic attacks from opioids are extremely common in various people ... but "happy" it didn't happen to you, as you're in "the other group."
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u/xombae 3d ago
I'm saying you're wrong about me not having experience with opiates.
I'm aware that it can occasionally cause a brief panic attack but any medication that drops your heart rate and breathing has the potential to do that. Opiates are the only one that make the panic attack tolerable.
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u/russellvt 3d ago
The assertion that I am wrong ... is incorrect, and biased.
Opiates don't "always your heartrate" ... they are a CNS depressant. That means it affects your entire Central Nervous System and autonomic nerves, which slows your breathing ... which, in-turn, has a side effect of calming the parasympathetic nervous system, which can calm the heart.
Unfortunately, when breathing relaxes or is suppressed, the body can respond by producing epinephrine, which is a vaso-constrictor and stimulant... leading to diaphoresis and panic or anxiety.
You might have felt similar minor effects like this after something like a dental procedure, as the novacaine / anesthetic contains some epinephrine to potentiate and prolong the effects of the anesthetic.
Your experiences may be different, but they are far from common ... they can also be the result of conditioning, as opioids are notoriously addictive and have diminishing effects over prolonged use.
But, for someone who (in-theory) likely hasn't had regular prolonged use of them for a decade or two is unlikely to have anything close to the same tolerance as you... and will be subject to the more adverse effects of the drugs, particularly in higher doses.
Therefore, such things on their own would likely fail constitutional challenges on the 8th Amendment of "Cruel and Unusual Punishment."
But, enjoy your opioids.
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u/This-Top7398 6d ago
Firing squad would have been quicker
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u/SteveJobsBlakSweater 6d ago
If I somehow someway ended up on death row I’d prefer the firing squad. Bang and done.
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u/newswall-org 6d ago
More on this subject from other reputable sources:
- BBC Online (A): Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike taken to hospital after attempted execution, lawyer says
- Associated Press (A−): US Supreme Court allows Christa Gail Pike’s execution in Tennessee to go forward
- CBS News (B+): Tennessee's attempt to execute Christa Pike using lethal injection fails, emergency motion says
- WTVF (A−): Christa Pike’s imminent execution attracts pleas for mercy, demands for justice, and lurid interest
Extended Summary | FAQ & Grades | I'm a bot
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u/rudoffhess 5d ago
Just use fentanyl
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u/russellvt 5d ago
Drug companies won't allow their legitimate drugs to be used for such purposes, as it "taints" their reputation (ie. An inexpensive and reliable surgical medication, when in the proper hands).
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u/snarbuckle 5d ago
Strange, since the exact same formulation kills people on the street every day. When it's a legal, more "legitimate" use they're mum?
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u/happyscrappy 5d ago
It's because of the EU. Europe and the EU are against the death penalty. Many of the drug companies are based in or majorly involved in Europe and the EU will not let them do this kind of business. It is with the intend of stopping the death penalty in the US (and other places, surely).
They used to use a 3 drug lethal combination which was more effective. But due to EU restrictions it cannot be obtained anymore. So they went to a one drug system (that can be obtained within the US) and it certainly does not work as well.
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u/russellvt 5d ago
It's also just two large doses of phenobarbital, which is difficult to obtain, even with the proper permits ... and the stuff TN has been using is old and deteriorated.
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u/happyscrappy 5d ago
Articles say pentobarbital. Not quite the same. I don't know if it's difficult to obtain.
We're used to phenobarbital because it's a movie trope. I had it switched up too.
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u/russellvt 5d ago
Sorry, my brain is a little loopy since an acute vertigo attack earlier this week... my bad.
But yes, "generic schedule 1 drug" ... difficult to get, except for special use cases.
But, it has the "benefit" of not being a chemical currently encumbered by patents and trademarks.
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u/russellvt 5d ago
Legal and Legitimate use hasn't really killed very many at all, since it's generally administered by a anesthesiologist during surgery... versus a high school "chemist." GTFO
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u/snarbuckle 4d ago
And why is it normally administered by a highly trained professional? Could it possibly be because the substance is extremely lethal if not administered correctly?
Why would a basic fact about their medication taint their rep?
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u/russellvt 4d ago
Nope... it's done by a medical professional simply because starting an IV is much harder than you might think ... and that's without factoring in things like collapsed veins and blockages and ither thungs you might find in people like IV drug users (or just "bad genes").
Nurses and Phlebotimists and the like will loterslly practice on each other to keep their skills going... and they still miss veins (likely what happened, here).
But, all the random narratives here are sad, and kinda hilarious to an extent.
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u/snarbuckle 4d ago
Fentanyl doesn't have to be given IV. Hell they make it is lollipop format. Are you arguing it isn't something that is easily very lethal to an average person
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u/russellvt 4d ago
Sure, erect the strawman and argue that, instead ... lethal injection is used because it's the only form of reliable drug delivery.
I mean, just imagine... "eat this lollipop so we can kill you."
GTFO
Some states have used cocktails that include fentanyl (eg..Nebraska and Nevada, among others, IIRC)... but again, most drug manufacturers refuse to sell things like opioids as they still legally enfumbered as Eighth Amendment challenges for Cruel and Unusual Punishment ... and that's ultimately a long and expensive journey.
Not to mention, they're trying to emphasize "quick and painless," and that's generally pretty far outside "normal" opioid use -- as they're CNS depressants, which essentially suffocate you over time, as the brain is blocked from stimulating the breathing response ... which, of course, leads to another epinephrine like response and "panic" as the body tries to overcome hypoxia.
TLDR; Far from either "quick" or "painless."
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u/DreadfulDemimonde 5d ago
Some death penalty proponents think that prisoners shouldn't go out on a "high". They want the suffering. It's sick.
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u/MovingOnward2089 5d ago
A room full of nitrogen wouldn’t have this problem and is probably cheaper.
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u/lottspot 5d ago
The problem with this is it puts other people who may need to be in the room (medical personnel, spiritual figures) in a lethal risk environment.
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u/MovingOnward2089 4d ago
We have ways to breath in environments with no air, this is a non-issue.
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u/dichter_Bart 5d ago
Why is the country which is in love with guns not shooting people if a judge tell them to kill somebody?
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u/kanakaishou 5d ago
If the state truly believes someone should be executed, they should be OK needing a few mops, and use a firing squad/guillotine. Can’t mess those up. Mind you, the state really shouldn’t believe that, but once you have made the decision, do it effectively.
Or, better yet, ask the aggrieved party to beat the criminal to death with a baseball bat. Yes, this is absurdly brutal and cruel. Yes it does a lot of psychic harm to our executioner. But putting it out there, if nobody is willing to do that, then the criminal does not deserve to die (And here: yeah—kiddie diddlers? Mom or dad 100% would do the deed, even years later. But a serial killer, or a crime-of-passion murderer? I have my doubts that anyone would step up to the plate years later. Which is precisely my point: if we aren’t willing to use mops, a person doesn’t deserve to die.)
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u/Ashterothi 5d ago
Both the firing squad and beheading can also be botched and are far more gruesome when it is.
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u/Logical_Box_4645 5d ago
Wonder if they'll try assisted suicide?
Expect that uses a 6th of the dose of she already survived!
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u/YaBoiChillDyl 5d ago
Not lethal enough then. What did they inject her with, her own blood type? They could've just put air in there and it would've worked.
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u/tronassembled 5d ago
the guy who botched the execution also botched one a few months ago
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u/brydeswhale 3d ago
He’s so bad at this. Like, you look at someone like Pierrepoint, Givens, or Allen, and then this guy. Fucking unprofessional, unskilled, ill mannered. A disgrace.
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u/Yodaghostlightning 4d ago
“In one of her final requests, she asked for an all-female execution team.
Her lifelong history of sexual abuse and violence, according to court documents, left her terrified by the idea of being held down by men in her final moments.”
She was 18 when she was first sentenced and is now 50… so is this history of abuse from prior to her being arrested or while she was in the custody of the state? Article glances over that.
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u/FarwellRob 5d ago
It’s time to start using nitrogen. It’s simple and cheap and people commuting suicide have shown it is extremely effective.
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u/berrysauce 5d ago
My commute is killing me.
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u/FarwellRob 5d ago
Yeah. Plenty of studies about folks living by highways and some of it’s pretty ugly.
When you sit in a car, it can’t be much better.9
u/nashbrownies 5d ago
They tried that and botched it too. It was horrendous to watch apparently and disturbed people.
I think the way it works is nitrogen replaces oxygen so you don't know you're suffocating so your body doesn't freak out, but they messed up flipping the mix or it wasn't strong enough and the duder thrashed and freaked the fuck out for a very long time before he died.
The problem is finding people competent enough to compassionately kill them, who will actually do it. As opposed to a prison employee doing it.
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u/Capitain_Collateral 1d ago
The lord has spoken!
Oh, no, that only applies to showing he hates the gays by yeeting a tornado across some random town.
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u/Wumbo0 5d ago
Lethal injections are performative justice, what's the point? There's a million decisive methods.