Something went terribly wrong in Tennessee last Wednesday. The state tried to execute Christa Pike using lethal injection, but the drugs did not work. According to the New York Post, officials administered two doses of Pentobarbital, a very strong sedative, yet Pike survived.
She was rushed to the hospital immediately after the attempt. Reporters were informed by her attorney that Christa is critically ill, though not in a coma, to the best of her knowledge. She remained unconscious as of Thursday afternoon. Pike is 50 years old and was convicted for the brutal 1995 murder of her classmate, Colleen Slemmer.
While this drama played out in Tennessee, California is watching closely. Xavier Becerra, a candidate for governor, made his views on the death penalty crystal clear. He pointed to a tweet he sent back in May praising Governor Gavin Newsom’s pause on executions. A campaign spokesperson directed the New York Post to that old post when asked about the Tennessee event.
Becerra believes the pause was necessary. He remarked that Governor Newsom’s moratorium on the death penalty marked a significant move toward a fairer criminal justice system. He plans to keep it that way if elected. “As Governor, I will extend California’s moratorium on executions and continue moving our state away from a costly, flawed system that dis,” he said, though his quote cut off mid-sentence.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the botched attempt with visible confusion. He called the event an “interesting situation” but refused to tell Tennessee what to do next. While that scenario was intriguing, you will need to address the matter directly with Tennessee. Whether or not they’re going to go forward, Trump told reporters.
He could not understand how the execution failed. “How does that happen?” he asked. Trump insisted the process should be simple. “Should be easy to do. It shouldn’t be very difficult.” Pike became the first person in history to survive this specific method of execution. The state of California currently holds 564 inmates under death sentences.
The situation leaves Tennessee with a difficult choice. In 200 years, Pike was scheduled to become the first woman executed by the state. She killed Colleen Slemmer with a box cutter and blunt force trauma when they were teenagers. Now, the state must decide if they will try again.
California voters will soon decide if they want to keep executions on pause. Becerra has promised to extend the moratorium and move away from what he calls a flawed system. The rest of the country watches to see if Tennessee proceeds. The question remains whether Pike will ever face another execution attempt.
