Something strange happened in Tennessee this week. A death row inmate named Christa Pike survived the execution. She was supposed to die by lethal injection. Instead, she lived through two rounds of the drug. President Trump told reporters he could not believe it. He asked the question on everyone’s mind. “How does that happen?” he said.
Pike, 50, was the first woman set to die in that state in 200 years, according to the New York Post. She was convicted for a brutal murder in 1995. She killed a classmate named Colleen Slemmer. The crime involved bludgeoning and hacking the victim. Officials administered a potent sedative called Pentobarbital. It failed to kill her after the first dose. They tried a second dose. It failed too.
Trump was traveling to Texas when he heard the news. He spoke to reporters who followed him on the plane. He called the event an “interesting situation.” He refused to say what should happen next. The state of Tennessee must decide if they will try again. He seemed baffled by the medical failure.
He felt the process should work without trouble. He told reporters it “should be easy to do. It shouldn’t be very difficult.” He did not blame the state. He just expressed shock at the outcome. The situation left him with more questions than answers. He deferred all next steps to local officials.
Pike was rushed to a hospital after the event. She remained unconscious through Thursday afternoon. Doctors are watching her closely. No one knows if she will wake up soon.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections handled the execution. They used two doses of the sedative. Both failed to end her life.
