Christa Pike may be the first to survive lethal injection, but failed executions are not uncommon

WBUR

Published October 7, 2026 at 12:03 PM EDT

Christa Pike is conscious again, her lawyers said in a statement on Tuesday, one week after a failed lethal injection left her hospitalized and in critical condition. Pike has been on death row in Tennessee for three decades.

Hers was the second botched execution in Tennessee just this year, leading Gov. Bill Lee to halt all scheduled executions until further notice.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with NPR investigative correspondent Chiara Eisner.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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