** News about this story is still developing. **
Last night, for the second time in six months, the state of Tennessee tortured someone they were attempting to execute. Christa Pike remains hospitalized for treatment after surviving two doses of lethal injection drugs.
After another botched execution in May left Tony Carruthers butchered but alive, we and our partners in Tennessee urged Governor Lee to suspend the state’s executions. Only now, after a second botched execution by overseen by the same unqualified physician, the governor has done so.
Before Christa Pike’s scheduled execution, thousands of Tennesseeans asked the governor to grant clemency. Those voices included physicians and the state bar association. Hours prior, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay so that facts relevant to her case could be reexamined, but the Supreme Court overrode that stay.
We are in active contact with leaders on the ground in Tennessee, including Christa’s legal team. Please subscribe to our email list to get updates.
