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Christa Pike, convicted of murder three decades ago, survived Tennessee's attempt to execute her by lethal injection on Wednesday (September 30), foiling the state's first effort to execute a woman in two centuries.

Witnesses described reactions from Pike inside the chamber, and questions were raised about whether the state had any protocol for an inmate surviving a second dose of the sedative.

(6679-TENNESSEE-EXECUTION/WITNESSES)

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 30, 2026) (ABC AFFILIATE WKRN - No use USA / No archive) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. NEWS CONFERENCE BY MEDIA WITNESSES AT ATTEMPTED EXECUTION OF TENNESSEE DEATH ROW INMATE, CHRISTA PIKE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEDIA WITNESS AND NEWS ANCHOR AT ABC AFFILIATE WKRN, TORI GESSNER, SAYING:

"I will say I've witnessed, I believe, five executions in Tennessee. Nothing about today was normal, typical at all. And the court delay was just the tip of the iceberg. When we got inside, I think it was around 6:41 (p.m.; 2341 GMT), we got into the witness chamber. We were waiting there for almost an hour, which is unusual. Normally it's 10, 15 minutes and then things get underway. We could hear, like a little crying and whimpering at times. But when the curtains finally opened, yeah, she said her last words, which you heard, she kept them about herself."

3. PORTRAIT OF PIKE'S VICTIM, COLLEEN SLEMMER

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEDIA WITNESS AND NEWS ANCHOR AT ABC AFFILIATE WKRN, TORI GESSNER, SAYING:

"At one point at 7:34 (p.m.), she said, my arm feels like it's about to burst open. Then she smiles really big. Then she starts talking about that one spot on her arm. Does this happen like that? The one spot... I didn't hear the rest. And then her advisor says, relax. And she says, I'm trying. Yeah. She's talking throughout this, then starts breathing, moaning, snoring. The curtains close at first at 7:46 (p.m.) and she was clearly still alive. She was clearly still breathing and snoring, we could audibly hear that. The curtains open again three minutes later, she was snoring very loudly at that point, mouth open, snoring. And then the curtains closed again at 8:05 (p.m.). And that's when they remained closed."

5. VEHICLES PARKED OUTSIDE RIVERBEND MAXIMUM SECURITY INSTITUTION'S ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee suspended all executions and ordered a third-party review on Thursday (October 1), a day after Pike survived the state's attempt to execute her by lethal injection. Lee said he was "highly disappointed" by what happened and that the review would seek to answer the many questions raised by the failed execution. (6833-TENNESSEE-EXECUTION/GOVERNOR)

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 1, 2026) (ABC AFFILIATE WKRN - No use USA / No archive)

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TENNESSEE GOVERNOR, BILL LEE, SAYING:

"As I've said before, carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the state's most important responsibilities and most serious responsibilities. And the people of Tennessee have determined that capital punishment is the appropriate sentence for the most heinous of crimes. The people of Tennessee expect that those sentences will be carried out in a manner that's not only legal and constitutional, but effective. And that didn't happen. I'm highly disappointed, along with Tennesseans, about what happened last night."

7. WHITE FLASH

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TENNESSEE GOVERNOR, BILL LEE, SAYING:

"Immediately took action to call for a thorough and comprehensive and third party review and investigation into the protocol. That investigation will be thorough, and it's going to take time and therefore, the last scheduled execution for this year will not take place."

Pike was receiving "life-saving medical care" in a Nashville hospital on Thursday hours after she survived two attempts by Tennessee to execute her with lethal injections, her lawyers said, renewing scrutiny of capital punishment in the US. (6905-TENNESSEE-EXECUTION/PIKE ATTORNEYS)

UNKNOWN LOCATION (OCTOBER 1, 2026) (U.S. CAMPAIGN TO END THE DEATH PENALTY HANDOUT - Access all)

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTA PIKE'S ATTORNEY, RANDY SPIVEY, SAYING:

"Christa is alive right now. We don't have a sense of her prognosis or much update on her health at the moment, but we do know that she is alive right now and receiving lifesaving medical care. The state of Tennessee has shown us again that they are not capable of carrying out an execution consistent with basic human dignity. Last night was not just inefficient, it was cruel, and it was torturous. It was also predictable. Christa's legal team told the state of Tennessee and the courts that her medical conditions would cause her to suffer an agonizing death. The state and the court dismissed Christa's concerns. The governor's call for an independent review does not go far enough. After having endured solitary confinement for more than 20 years and a full attempt to kill her by lethal injection, Christa has endured punishment greater than any other person in the history of the American death penalty."

Amnesty International called for a moratorium on executions across the United States after Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute Pike. (6848-TENNESSEE-EXECUTION/AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL)

UNKNOWN LOCATION (ARCHIVE - 2023) (TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION - For editorial use only) (MUTE) (ORIGINALLY SHOT IN PORTRAIT)

10. BOOKING PHOTOGRAPH OF DEATH ROW INMATE, CHRISTA PIKE

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 1, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHER, JUSTIN MAZZOLA, SAYING:

"In terms of, you know, the, the moratorium that was put in place by the governor of Tennessee after last night's botched execution, really, what we are calling for is, enough is enough. We don't need a moratorium to study what's happened. It's wrong. It doesn't work. We need Tennessee to implement a full moratorium on all executions going forward with a view towards abolition. And that's what we're calling on all states to do. Because this isn't even necessarily, limited to lethal injection. Other states carry out executions through nitrogen hypoxia and other methods. And we just recently saw in Alabama, where, the judge found that the protocols for nitrogen hypoxia, which is basically suffocating by nitrogen gas, is unconstitutional. And so there is no humane way to kill somebody. And so this is why we ask states to issue moratoriums with a view towards abolition and to abolish death penalty across the country."

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, UNITED STATES (ARCHIVE - DECEMBER 4, 2007) (J. MILES CARY / KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK - Must on-screen courtesy "J. Miles Cary / Knoxville News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK" / No archive / No resales) (MUTE)

12. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF PIKE ENTERING KNOX COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT