Experts Call Tennessee's Failed Execution of Christa Pike Medical Malpractice

Tennessee’s execution team failed to kill Christa Pike after using a needle too small for the drug’s volume, according to new expert testimony released on Thursday. Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, survived a procedure that experts now classify as medical malpractice.

Randy Spivey, Pike’s attorney, filed a chronology of the September 30 execution based on his observations from the death chamber. The account details a 45-minute struggle by four IV team members to secure a line in Pike’s arms. They used approximately 10 needles before attempting to start the injection at 7:05 p.m.

The team selected a 24-gauge needle, a catheter size typically reserved for infants. Joel Zivot, an anesthesiology professor who provided pre-execution testimony, stated there was no way to push 50cc of pentobarbital through such a small line without damaging the vein. Tennessee’s protocol required 50cc in each arm, totaling 5 grams of the sedative.

At 7:07 p.m., a team member admitted the vein was likely blown. The group then attempted to locate a vessel using ultrasound. Jonathan Groner, an emeritus professor of clinical surgery at Ohio State University, noted that the technique requires extensive specialist training and that the team clearly lacked proficiency. Saline was flushed through the line with difficulty at 7:23 p.m., a sign Groner described as a flashing red light.

Despite the resistance, the team declared the IV ready at 7:24 p.m. and began the injection. Spivey’s account records Pike grimacing and complaining that her arm was really burning. The label on the pentobarbital vial instructs staff to stop infusion immediately if a patient reports pain.

Pike spent 10 days in the hospital following the procedure, including several days on a ventilator. Her lawyers assumed she was brain-dead before she returned to her prison cell. She can now talk and walk, though her long-term health remains uncertain.

Tennessee has halted all executions pending a review. Zivot and Groner cited a poorly written protocol, lack of leadership, and the use of unauthorized technology as primary failures. Groner called the procedure a medical charade, arguing that the state should have stopped the injection when the team faced difficulty.