First-ever execution of a woman in Tennessee fails after two injections leave inmate conscious
The state of Tennessee’s attempt to execute female prisoner Krista Pike ended in failure: more than 40 minutes after receiving two doses of lethal drugs, Pike remained conscious and capable of breathing. The execution, marking the first time in over 200 years that Tennessee has carried out a death sentence on a woman, concluded in what observers described as "unnecessary suffering."
New York, October 1 — TASS
According to the Associated Press, authorities in Tennessee failed to carry out the state’s first execution of a woman in over two centuries.
On the evening of September 30, 50-year-old Krista Pike was administered two doses of lethal medication. However, for over 40 minutes afterward, she remained conscious and able to breathe. Authorities subsequently removed witnesses from the execution chamber.
Pike’s legal team has filed an emergency motion with the court, arguing that the execution inflicted “unnecessary suffering” and violated her constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment during execution.
As reported by The Tennessean, one month prior to the execution, Pike’s attorneys had highlighted that she suffers from thrombocytosis, a condition that increases the risk of blood clots and could have contributed to heightened pain during the drug administration.
Pike was just 18 years old when she committed the crime in 1995. She and an accomplice were convicted of murdering 19-year-old Corrine Slemmer, who attended the same high school. Prosecutors alleged that Pike, fearing Slemmer’s romantic interest in her boyfriend, lured her to a remote location where both she and her boyfriend subjected Slemmer to prolonged torture before killing her. The case drew widespread attention due to its brutality, the youth of the perpetrators, and the presence of satanic symbols carved into the victim’s body.
Pike may become the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1820. According to ABC News, executions of women in the United States are extremely rare. Since 1976, only 18 women have been executed nationwide—representing approximately 1% of all executions.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1877819914569731/
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