A survived execution in Tennessee exposes the grim science of lethal injection

By: Michael Kiefer

Outlets: Tennessee Lookout

Published: October 9, 2026

Words: 1,417

Last Updated: 1 week, 1 day ago

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It took Christa Pike nearly a week to regain consciousness after the Tennessee Department of Corrections failed to kill her with two doses of the barbiturate pentobarbital, a drug used to put animals to death and to execute humans by lethal injection in Tennessee and other states.

She was confused and angry. She couldn’t eat because of damage to her throat, she couldn’t move her arms, and her hands were swollen to where …

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