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Tennessee’s prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike, governor says
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada is resigning this month following the failed execution of Christa Pike, announced by Governor Bill Lee.
- The execution failed despite administering two doses of the lethal drug pentobarbital, leaving Pike unconscious and on a ventilator in the hospital.
- An independent review has been ordered to investigate the incident, with Strada stating his resignation is in the best interest of Tennesseans and pledging cooperation with the investigation.
- Pike’s attorneys allege that issues with the IV lines caused the drug to enter her body improperly, while officials maintain the execution followed established protocol.
- Pike, sentenced to death for a 1995 murder committed at age 18, was among the youngest women on death row in Tennessee.
