Tennessee's top prison official, Frank Strada, is to resign later this month following the failed execution of death row prisoner Christa Pike. Governor Bill Lee announced Strada's departure on Saturday, stating that an independent investigation into Wednesday's botched execution is being launched.
Mr Strada, the department of correction commissioner, said his resignation would allow the review to proceed in the best interests of Tennessee. He stated, "Serving as commissioner of the Tennessee department of correction has been a great honor, and I continue to believe the department carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol."
Christa Pike's attorney, Randy Spivey, who witnessed the procedure, described it as "cruel and torturous," reporting that seven needles were inserted into her left arm. Pike remained unconscious and on a ventilator in hospital as of Friday, with personnel working to clear the execution drug from her system.
Attorneys have alleged that Pike's failed lethal injection was the fifth "botched" execution under Mr Strada's leadership across two states since 2022. Governor Lee has paused the scheduling of executions in Tennessee in response to the incident.
Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of teenage classmate Colleen Slemmer. Had the execution been successful, she would have been the first woman put to death in Tennessee in over 200 years.